After more than 10 years of hardship, Iraqi Christian calls it quits on Iraq

Photo: Christa Case Bryant/TCSM

Fatin Yousef outlasted the US invasion and civil war, but threats and kidnappings finally drove her out of Iraq. Only one of her 60 relatives remains there.

Fatin Yousef endured the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the outbreak of fierce Sunni-Shiite fighting in 2006, and an uptick in militant attacks after US troops withdrew in December 2011.

As a Christian, she faced even more persecution than the average Iraqi. But while roughly half of Iraq’s estimated 1 million Christians fled the country, she stayed put for a decade – until this summer.

Three weeks ago, Ms. Yousef finally left her country for good, taking refuge in Amman with her teenage daughter and elderly mother. Among her extended family of about 60 relatives, only one remains in Iraq. Keep reading

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