30 May 2008

Dear

We write to bring to your attention and to seek your help in highlighting to the Iraqi, American and British Governments the appalling crisis being played out in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains in Iraq. Mosul (Nineveh) is one of the world's most ancient cities, known for its history, culture and from the holy books of all three of the monotheistic religions. The situation over the past 20 years in Mosul has been one of steady deterioration. However, since 2003 this has accelerated to a degree where the city is now in an effective state of collapse. The important historical sites of Mosul itself risk being lost forever, it’s mosques, churches, monasteries and prophets’ tombs. Additionally, the situation in respect of the Mosul Dam is now critical. A report on the state of the dam has revealed serious problems but to date no action has been taken on repairing it. If it were to burst the results would be catastrophic.

The little amount of news that appears in the British press speaks only of Mosul being the place of 'the final battle' yet this covers up a much more serious problem.

Mosul has always been an Arab city which has been home to a multi-ethnic, multi-religious community who have lived and married side-by-side over the centuries. It now faces new threats which, if taken to fruition, will see its destruction. These can be measured as follows:-

a. No publicity has been given to the fact that the Kurdish Peshmerga now effectively control Mosul and the Nineveh Plains and claim Mosul as a Kurdish city. They have been responsible for the arrest, torture and murder of many of Mosul's academics, intellectuals and signatories and it is believed by some that they were behind the recent murder of Archbishop Baules Faraj Rahho one of the most senior Christian figures in Mosul (one of many Christian clerics murdered). 

b. The intention of these actions are to effectively beat the people of Mosul and Nineveh Plains into submission to become part of a greater, expanded Kurdistan and in pursuance of this they have been responsible not only for the murder of Arabs, Turkomens and other minorities but were also responsible for stopping many villages, some largely Christian, from voting in the election.

The people of Mosul are in an extremely difficult situation with random arrests and a very uncertain future. The very fact that the international community has stood silently by and watched this is deplorable To see it to its logical end is unthinkable.

We urgently seek a meeting with you to discuss this situation.


Dr Ismail K Jalili 
Chairman
Action4Mosul
Email: secretary(AT)almosul.org
Website: www.almosul.org