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The Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul and Aqrah (Iraq) nominated for the 2020 Sakharov Prize

Source: Chaldean Archdioceses of Mosul & akra

The Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul and Aqrah (Iraq) Mikhael Najib was nominated for the 2020 Sakharov Prize for his work in saving hundreds of manuscripts and thousands of Christian and non-Christian historical documents from being burned and vandalised by fanatics and fundamentalists, as well as for his assistance for hundreds of people seeking refuge in safe areas to escape from ISIS.

His Excellency said that he considers his nomination for the award is not for him personally, but for all his nation, Iraqis, and all Christians in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain who were subjected to the worst persecution and were forcibly displaced, as well as Yazidis and peaceful Muslims who had fear for their lives and fled from the areas captured by ISIS.

He added that “it was not reasonable to save ourselves without saving what we consider to be our roots and the original heritage that included the manuscripts of our great ancestors in addition of thousands of documents, some of them dates back a thousand years”.

His Excellency affirmed that this work had its luck in the Western media, which prompted the European Parliament to nominate him for the Sakharov Prize among five names for the year 2020.

He referred to this historical heritage as “Mesopotamian, but at the same time it is a human heritage and we are proud of it”.

The Archbishop explained the beginning of his work in preserving the manuscripts many years ago, as the Dominican Monastery in Mosul had a treasure of manuscripts and documents consisting of correspondence, notes, etc.

He said: ”We established the "Centre Numérique des Manuscrits Orientaux" (the Digital Center of Eastern Manuscripts) in cooperation with the Benedictine fathers from America who provided us with the necessary equipment to convert these manuscripts into digital copies.”

Mar Mikhael said that he fled Mosul because the terrorists put his name on the list of whom they want to kill.

He also added that “at the time of the ISIS attacked Nineveh Plain, we felt once again fear and danger for our people, as well as our heritage, and when we were seeking refuge in Kurdistan for a safe heaven, we saw hundreds of families, including the elderly, the handicapped and children walking on foot, so we took them to our truck to pile up on manuscripts, documents, and the truck became like Noah’s ark”.

About the security of manuscripts and documents now, he said that they are safe, and he has digital copies of them that are very clear and available to scholars and researchers.

He further outlined that this heritage belongs to the Eastern Church, Yazidi and Mandaean books, therefore, “our work was to preserve a comprehensive human heritage, not just the Christian one”.

He concluded his speech that he will leave this week for Brussels to attend a plenary session of the European Parliament and meet with various personalities, stressing: “I will continue to deliver the voice of our people in Iraq and diaspora to the international forums”.

 

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