After suffering through years of war and terrorism, a Christian marriage is celebrated, renewing a spirit of joy and hope.

Newsroom (September 8, 2021, 4:55 PM, Gaudium Press) In August 2014, the Nineveh Plain was filled with terrified families trying to escape the Islamic State’s terrorist advance. The town of Karamlech, which had about 4,000 inhabitants, was virtually deserted by the massive flight. The main destination of the refugees was the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, Arbil.

In Arbil, entire families took refuge having left everything behind. It was in this refugee camp that two young people from Karamlech, Rami and Rita, met.

After the Jihadists invaded, Karamlech was vandalized by the Islamic State: tunnels were dug to facilitate movement in the city, churches were burned down, cemeteries and schools were vandalized. The guerrillas have made the city an important military base to resist and attack their opponents. “The Islamic State turned our houses into military installations. The church in Santa Barba was their headquarters,” Rami explained.

In October 2016, before the liberation of Karamlech by the Iraqi army, the jihadists left hate messages all over the walls and doors of the city. Everything there was in ruins.

Among the first people who returned to Karamlech was Rami. Soon, the citizens put the crosses back on top of the churches and gradually began to rebuild the city.

Today with almost half the population having returned, Rami, 29, and Rita, 23, have decided to stay and start a new family. “Our life is not without risks, but no matter what happens, we must continue. We must go forward,” said Rami.

They are the first couple to celebrate their marriage in the rebuilt downtown San Jose. After years of terror and fear, joy is beginning to be reborn. With satisfaction, Rami declares: “On the church walls, the jihadists wrote ‘There will be no more Christianity in Iraq’, but they didn’t win. Thank God, we Iraqi Catholics are back.”

Compiled by Sarah Gangl