tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90188693592652422082026-03-21T14:02:31.940+03:00Iraq under my skinUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger287125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-10849446778898687872022-03-26T12:49:00.000+03:002022-03-26T12:49:06.415+03:00One war is no more civilized than anotherThe war in Ukraine leads to discord: civilized countries at war versus allegedly uncivilized ones. Civilized victims versus the supposedly less civilized. And, most of all, between asylum seekers who are welcomed and those we would rather not see.&nbsp; By Judit Neurink Suddenly, the hashtag #uncivilized was trending on Twitter in relation to the war in Ukraine. The difference in reactions toUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-28259311892945971602021-03-15T11:59:00.000+03:002021-03-15T11:59:18.024+03:00When taking a taxi becomes haram for a woman&nbsp;<!--[if gte mso 9]> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE AR-SA <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]> Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-21947444563786585002021-03-14T12:17:00.001+03:002021-03-15T12:26:06.468+03:00A trial sparks a wave of desperation and distrust in Iraq's KurdistanThe trial of five Kurdish activists and journalists for 'spying' has left Kurds furious with their leaders. As hardship increases, they recoil against growing authoritarianism, writes Judit Neurink. One of the journalists being led away after the trial.&nbsp;&nbsp; FOTO TWITTERby Judit Neurink&nbsp; &nbsp; "But Your HonourUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-84981602104983038722021-03-14T12:05:00.000+03:002021-03-15T12:17:43.769+03:00Gulf states embrace Israel — and the language, tooHebrew lessons are in demand in the Gulf. Since the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain signed the rapprochement deals with Israel last year, "Shalom" is now often heard on the streets of Dubai. Hebrew language courses are experiencing a boom in Gulf states&nbsp;&nbsp; FOTO EHI By Judit Neurink Curiosity, that's why May al-Badi wanted to learn Hebrew. "Wanting to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-89058010388430191312020-10-02T13:55:00.002+03:002020-10-02T13:55:42.216+03:00Are Iraqi youths losing their religion? Despite the influence of religion in Iraqi politics, recent studies show that young people in Iraq are increasingly identifying as secularist.&nbsp;by Judit Neurink “It’s about my identity,” Yara Ali said&nbsp;with confidence. Ali is an Arab-Iraqi lawyer and prominent activist living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq;&nbsp;for security reasons, she uses a pseudonym. “I was forced to wear Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-49429334218064467722020-06-12T14:26:00.003+03:002020-06-12T15:35:55.139+03:00Bankrupt Kurdistan is no longer 'the other Iraq' The Kurdistan region of Iraq has hit rock bottom. What was once a promising 'other Iraq' is now a politically and financially bankrupt disappointment, writes Judit Neurink.&nbsp; "Welcome to 'the other Iraq'," tourists would be told when holidaying in the Kurdistan region of Iraq. The three Iraqi provinces the Kurds have governed since 1992 were not only lush, green and mountain coolUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-89625817863212601002019-09-07T16:35:00.001+03:002019-09-07T16:35:08.188+03:00Jewish heritage survived 'Islamic State' in Iraq Mosul's Jewish quarter miraculously survived three years of occupation by the "Islamic State" terror group and the battle to evict it. Reporter Judit Neurink and photographer Eddy van Wessel went there to find out how. Jewish heritage in Mosul (FOTO JUDIT NEURINK) Judit Neurink, Mosul When the Islamic militants of IS were finally routed from the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-44108677481192970952019-09-07T16:23:00.001+03:002019-09-07T16:23:46.921+03:00Bringing IS masses to justice poses quandaries What will happen to the thousands of IS members who surrendered in the final phase of the battle in Syria? Neighboring Iraq might try them but the country suffers from overcrowded prisons and overworked courts. ISIS-prisoners waiting for their turn in front of the judge (FOTO JUDIT NEURINK) Judit Neurink, Erbil With the battle against the terror Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-75172767368763586442019-09-07T16:16:00.001+03:002019-09-07T16:16:42.008+03:00Yazidis demand Iraq actively search for their missing persons "Islamic State" is fighting its endgame with Yazidis waiting anxiously. Angered by Iraqi government silence following reports that IS killed 50 of their women, they are pushing for real action to find 3,000 of their own. &nbsp; Judit Neurink, Zakho After more than four and a half years as prisoners of the Islamic terror group "Islamic State," 21 Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-37409301383898418892019-09-07T16:11:00.001+03:002019-09-07T16:11:23.940+03:00Mosul: Where demons, women and 'Islamic State' met During the IS occupation of Iraq's Mosul, secret sessions were held for women to exorcise demons — despite the IS deeming them black magic and banning any alternative religious practices.&nbsp; Judit Neurink, Mosul "Women still come asking for the exorcism sessions," says Othman, the muezzin who, five times a day, calls the faithful to pray at the HaibaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-74227380524753239552018-12-03T14:04:00.000+03:002018-12-03T14:04:04.614+03:00Is the 'Islamic State' making a comeback in Iraq? The Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq says that IS is rising like a phoenix from the ashes. The organization is regrouping, filling the void left by its quarreling adversaries. Judit Neurink reports from Irbil and Mosul. West-Mosul is trying to return to life&nbsp; PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK A car bomb kills five in the Iraqi town of Tikrit. Iraqi troops call in air strikes on "Islamic State" (ISUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-31444024111321915472018-11-07T12:58:00.001+03:002018-11-07T12:59:33.401+03:00Yazidis fear ISIS radicals in Greek refugee camp Having fled the murderous threat of the "Islamic State" (ISIS) group, Yazidi families from Iraq now live in fear in refugee camps in Greece. Judit Neurink reports from Malakasa. A view of Malakasa camp near Athens on a quiet afternoon&nbsp; PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK "If the Afghans know I am Yazidi, they will burn me alive. They don't see us as human beings." Kheiri Zabri, 37, casts a Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-60735763983586330402018-11-07T12:52:00.001+03:002018-11-07T12:52:53.957+03:00Kurdish families caught between Iran and the US Why are members of an Iranian Kurdish resistance group based in neighboring Iraqi Kurdistan being targeted by Iranian missiles? And what can the West do to help? Judit Neurink reports from Koya. The damage at the KDPI head quarters in Koya &nbsp; PHOTO Judit Neurink "We are very much afraid it will happen again. There is no war going on here, and we did not deserve this. We'd like to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-9230285687093366482018-09-09T16:29:00.002+03:002018-09-09T16:34:20.762+03:00Iraq's Mosul celebrates cultural comeback Music is back in Mosul, as are books and paintings. With the "Islamic State" (IS) group gone, locals are enjoying their new-found freedom and embracing culture. Will it last? Judit Neurink reports from Mosul. Book festival in Mosul, where thousands gather to chose a book. PICTURE @ALI Y AL-BAROODY (Twitter) In the park in Mosul where IS once trained child soldiers, thousands have now Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-37195630819806082722018-09-09T16:15:00.002+03:002018-09-09T16:30:52.574+03:00Kurdish farmers hit by water crisisWith neighboring Iran diverting rivers and building dams, the Kurdistan Region of Iraq is in the midst of an already severe water crisis that threatens to get even worse, thanks to national and regional governments failing to acknowledge the urgency of the problem. Walnut farmer Backtiar Hamakhan @Judit Neurink by Judit Neurink SULAIMANIYAH,&nbsp;Iraq —&nbsp;Dead fish lay in dry river beds, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-62519931046946314292018-09-09T16:04:00.001+03:002018-09-09T16:34:36.391+03:00'Islamic State' youth fighters keep the faith in prisonIraqi youngsters are doing time for their roles in the "Islamic State" terror group. Some will leave jail even more radicalized. As one of the first foreign journalists, Judit Neurink visited Irbil's juvenile prison. Outside Erbil's Juvenile prison @Judit Neurink by Judit Neurink Iraqi youngsters are doing time for their roles in the "Islamic State" terror group. Some will leave jail Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-39344609123759045492018-09-09T15:58:00.002+03:002018-09-09T15:58:27.802+03:00Islamic State fighters buried without identification in IraqA year after Mosul was liberated from the Islamic State, the bodies of the group's fighters are finally being recovered from the rubble of their last stronghold in the city. Major Ahsan Rasem and his colleagues of the Civil Defense in Mosul @Judit Neurink by Judit Neurink Maj. Ahsan Rasem recognizes members of the Islamic State (IS) by their clothes and explosives belts. Rasem is the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-76370525698927378022018-05-24T14:05:00.001+03:002018-05-24T14:05:11.700+03:00Poverty and lack of services in Iraq force refugees back to the camps Poverty and a lack of services are preventing rebuilding in Mosul, forcing thousands to choose the lesser of two evils and return to the camps. Over 2 million have yet to go back home. Judit Neurink reports from Mosul. Poverty in Western Mosul&nbsp; PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK Mosul, Judit Neurink "My children collect scrap iron to sell," Abbas Mohammed said, picking up the iron pipe that Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-87916295173857113142018-05-23T18:27:00.001+03:002018-05-23T18:27:11.410+03:00 Eager to vote, Iraq's displaced faced obstacles on election dayPromises of jobs and support to build their homes sent many of Iraq's internally displaced in search of polling stations that would allow them to cast their vote on May 12. Queuing to vote at one at the polling stations open for IDPs in Erbil&nbsp; PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK ERBIL - Judit Neurink The Janabi cousins from Salahuddin province had already been waiting for five hours outside the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-40555054345093659462018-05-23T18:20:00.000+03:002018-05-23T18:20:13.513+03:00 Iraq Pulse Iraqi churches shoulder burden of reconstruction, for nowIn Iraq, churches have taken the lead in persuading and helping Christians to towns razed by the Islamic State. Shops are reopening in Qaraqosh, with help of the church. PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK Qaraqosh, Judit Neurink “I was the first to repair my house and move back here,” said Archbishop Yohanna Petros Mouche of the Syriac Catholic Church in Qaraqosh. He&nbsp;gestured&nbsp;toward&nbsp;his Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-24573953718868365152018-05-23T18:12:00.000+03:002018-05-23T18:12:00.766+03:00Expect change in Iraq when embattled Kurds cast ballots The dust seems to be settling somewhat over Iraq's&nbsp;Kurdistan Region, but fallout from the discord among Kurds, and with the central government, could still be considerable come election time. Thousands of demonstrators protested for months, and hundreds of civil servants have been on strike in several cities over delayed and reduced pay. Teachers and health care workers in Sulaimaniyah Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-40369574280069479412018-04-04T11:52:00.000+03:002018-04-04T11:52:08.695+03:00Can foreign 'Islamic State' fighters' kids return to Europe? Should the children of foreign IS fighters in Iraq and Syria be allowed to return home? Security agencies are alarmed, but aid workers say they're no danger if they get proper support. Judit Neurink reports from Irbil. IS trained boys from the age of nine (Still from IS video that featured Ayhem) Thousands of children left behind by Western 'Islamic State' (IS) fighters are currently Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-17649743026443766822018-04-04T11:39:00.002+03:002018-04-04T11:39:15.234+03:00Saving Nahum’s tomb—Iraq’s last synagogue Iraq’s last remaining synagogue was saved first from the Islamic State and then from neglect and collapse. It is a success in a country where national heritage is often destroyed or looted and widely viewed as primarily a source of income. The Nahum tomb, after the work to stabilize it, in Al Qosh&nbsp; PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK by Judit Neurink “The Iraqi government was against everything Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-59465075909795821642018-04-04T11:29:00.002+03:002018-04-04T11:29:20.415+03:00Kurdistan sacks Jewish representative to appease BaghdadTwo years after being asked to rebuild a decimated community, Sherzad Mamsani has been removed from his position. The catch: He was an unpaid volunteer. Sherzad Mamsani and his boss, Mariwan Naqshbandy,&nbsp; director of religious coexistence at the Endowment and Religious Affairs Ministry, during Holocaust Day in Erbil in 2015 PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK by Judit Neurink After working for Iraqi Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9018869359265242208.post-322912110684375472018-04-04T11:17:00.001+03:002018-04-04T11:17:24.801+03:00'Islamic State' sleeper cells spread fear in Iraq's Hawija Three months after its liberation, former IS fighters remain a threat in Hawija. Judit Neurink, the first Western journalist to visit the liberated town, reports on how locals are dealing with the new threat.&nbsp; Cars that IS used in the battle are still everywhere in and around Hawija&nbsp; PHOTO JUDIT NEURINK Judit Neurink, Hawija Last October, after weeks of bitter combatUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0