Ankawa, the Christian suburb of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, has been designated a district. In the past it welcomed thousands of Christian families who fled from Mosul and the Nineveh plain following the rise of the Islamic State group.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani made the announcement on Monday during a visit to the area.
Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil welcomed this major recognition. It is a “very important decision for Ankawa,” said the prelate, a “strategic” move to maintain the Christian presence in the region and an incentive for Christians to remain and invest in their community.
The decision to increase the degree of autonomy and repre-sentativeness of what was just once a (Christian) suburb is shared by the Kurdistan Interior Ministry, the governor of Erbil and the local provincial council.
With the new status, Ankawa passes under the “administrative control” of its Christian reside-nts, most of whom fled perse-cution from Iraq’s Nineveh plain and Syria, and will become “the biggest district of Christians in the Middle East.”
From sub-district to full-fledged district, residents will be able to elect officials and repre-sentatives, run their admini-strators, be in charge of security and benefit, unlike the past, from a mayor with “direct authority”.
For Kurdish leaders, who took in Christians during the rise of the Islamic State, the goal is to show the international commu-nity that the region is safe for Christians (and non-Christians), thus attracting investments and opportunities for economic development.