UNBROKEN: Interview with Murad Darwish

Murad is a remarkable young Yazidi from Sinjar, Iraq. He works as a receptionist for STEP-IN. Murad lives in an IDP Kabartoo camp, located in Kurdish part of Iraq, because ISIS took over his home village. Despite this sad experience, he always jokes around, and it’s impossible to get bored with him. He has many stories to tell and this interview captures only a few of them. Some are rather funny, as for example how he ‘escaped’ with a girl he loved, so they could get married according to a Yazidi tradition. Others leave you speechless...

Where did you study?

I was studying at the Mosul university for one year but it was not very safe for us [Yazidis]. Then ISIS came so I transferred to Dohuk. At first I was studying English but since I changed schools, they had free spots only in a nursing program, so I had to switch.

How did you start working with STEP-IN?

At first I stared as a volunteer in September 2015. After a while, Przemek said they need me full time and that they will pay me a normal salary. At that time, I really needed it because we lost everything when we had to escape from Sinjar. My family depended on me because I was the only one with a graduate degree.

It's no secret that bigger NGOs give more money to their employees. Why are you then still working with STEP-IN?

I was offered to go and work with one organization in Sinjar but I refused. STEP-IN is not like other organization in Kurdistan. We work with foreign doctors and other employees from Europe. We are friends also outside of work. We go to picnics and we are having a nice time together. STEP-IN means so much for me. This is my family.

Can you tell us a bit about what happened on August 3, 2014 [day of the Yazidi genocide by ISIS in Sinjar] and how you remember that day?

Sinjar (in Arabic) or Shingal (in Kurdish) is a vast area located in Nineveh Province, Iraq, which includes a 100-kilometre-long mountain range, villages located around it, and the Sinjar city that lies on the southern side of the mountains. Murad used to live on the southern side. He had relatives living on the northern side, which ISIS took over first, as well.

Daesh came from the northern side of the Sinjar mountain range during the night of 2^nd of August. Yes. We were really worried about our relatives. We were calling them asking what is happening. They were fighting Daesh but after couple of hours they ran out of bullets and other weaponry. In the early morning of 3^rd of August, around 4 or 5am, Daesh started entering their village. They surrounded it, so the only way to escape was to the mountains. It was around 50km. Many people didn’t have a car so they were escaping by foot. A few hours later our relatives called us and said: “Leave the city because they are going to come to you also." At that time, they already killed around 5000 men and took their families. So we started to escape.

Yazidi people on the run from their villages in Sinjar
Photo credits: Murad Darwish

Did you go to the mountains? 

We had a choice. We could go to the mountains or to Kurdistan. We decided to go to Kurdistan. Some people went to the mountains, but it was a bad idea. My uncle could not walk, so he decided to stay at home. But then he changed his mind and with a help of his friend, who had a car, he tried to escape. Unfortunately, they took a road, which was already under Daesh’s control and my uncle was captured. We were so worried about him.

What happened to your uncle?

Something that nobody expected. One Daesh fighter told him: "We will ask you some questions and if you will answer correctly, we will give you freedom. If not, we will kill you.” They asked him very specific questions regarding names of some Saddam’s advisors, brothers and so on. My uncle answered everything correctly because he knew a lot since he served for 15 years in Saddam’s army during Iran-Iraq war, and also the Kuwait war. As a result, Daesh released him and he came to Kurdistan and now he lives with us in Kabartoo camp.

Murad made this provisional 'oven' to help his family prepare some bread.

Where did you go from Sinjar when you escaped? At that time there was no Kabartoo camp…

No, there wasn’t any camp. We were at first living in a school and unfinished buildings. Then we were living in Khanke [a small village in a Kurdish part of Iraq]. I remember, there was one rich family and the man decided to cook for everyone. There were lines of 2,000 to 3,000 people getting just a little of food to give to their families but after 2 or 3 hours he usually ran out of food. My parents were very sad because just three days before Daesh came, we spent a lot of our money to buy 40 sheep. Before we left our house, we closed them in a fence, so they would not escape. We had no idea that we won’t be able to go back again… My mother started to cry: “We closed them there so they can’t get out. They have no water or food now. They won’t be able to survive.” She wanted me to call our relative and ask him to give to that sheep freedom so they would not die there. But it was too late because Daesh already controlled our village. They all died there. My parents are sad every time they remember this.

How long have you lived in Khanke?

M: We were there for around 2 weeks. Almost 40 people were living in one room. Then we went to Batel village, where we had our relatives. The conditions were not better there. More than 70 people were living in two floors. In addition to that, one of my relatives called me from Syria and said: “We need you to find something for us.” I had no other choice than to tell them to join us. After that it was almost 100 people living in one house. We stayed there for around three or four months.

How did you get food and other basic things? Did you have some money?

M: We didn’t have any money. We started from 0. There were already some organizations that provided food for us. We had two cars but apart from that, we had nothing. My father started to work as a taxi driver and slowly we built our lives again and started to earn some money. Then I started to work with STEP-IN.

Can you tell me something about how is it like to live in a camp?  

Children, young, and elderly people gathered in an unfinished
house in Batel village after they escaped from Sinjar. 

It is very difficult. In the tents, its very hot during the summer and so cold during the winter. Every family is given around 20 liters of gas for the heaters. It’s not a lot. Also, it is very dangerous when the children are running around it because if an accident happened, many tents could burn.

How many of you are living in one tent?

If a family has more than 8 members, they are given two tents. If no, they stay in one. 8 people for one tent. In Kabartoo, 35 thousand people are living in one camp and there are only 6,000 tents.

What people usually do in a camp? For you it’s different because you speak English, so you can join a foreign organization or an NGO. But what about those, that don’t speak English?

For them, I am like a hero. Because I got a job after I graduated. But for other families, that I know very well, its so hard. They have no money. Men are not working because they can’t find an employment. They can’t go back because their houses were destroyed and they don’t have money for reconstruction. One time, my friend came to me and said that one woman is crying because she doesn’t have money to buy a certain medication and she is dying. So I went to STEP-IN and asked doctora Katia, if she could give me medications for that woman. Then, I brought it to her and the entire family was thanking me so much for saving their mother.

You are the only one in STEP-IN team who is married. Yazidi traditions, when it comes to marriage, are different from the Western ones. Can you tell your us of how you ‘escaped’ with your wife?

  

Murad and his wife Samia
during their wedding. 

Me and Shakira, as you call her, but her real name is Samia, decided to ‘escape’ together. Since we were living in a camp, I planned to take her from her tent in Kabartoo and go to Sharia, another IDP camp in Kurdistan.

How does this work? Did you tell her to wait for you somewhere?

I told her to come at night at the end of the street and wait for me there. When Samia stepped into the car I started to go really fast so her family would not be able to follow us. My relatives in Sharia welcomed her in their tent and ensured her that when her family comes, they will explain everything to them. Then I called my uncle and asked him to call Samia’s father and told him “Our Murad ‘escaped’ with your daughter, don’t worry about her." And her father said: “Great, we are happy with that. No problem for us. Congratulations.” [both laughing] I had to go to work the next day, when I explained to Zuzana and Przemek what happened. Then I went back to Sharia to be with Samia because she was a bit shy since she didn’t know my relatives. After 4 days, we had a wedding at home [in Kabartoo camp]. I took a day off for that. [laughing]. I invited Przemek and Zuzana also. For them it was the first Yazidi wedding. It was a bit different than usual. Because of Daesh [ISIS], it was a wedding without a party and there were only 500 to 700 people.

So your wedding took place in Kabartoo camp between tents?

Yes, it was actually on the street. We prepared lunch for our guests and after that, they went to my father and mother to congratulate them. In our tradition, we give money or jewelry to those that are getting married but here in the tents we don’t have anything. Despite everything, this was a very special day for me.

A picture taken inside of a tent in Kabartoo camp during Murad's and Samia's wedding. 

When I was interviewing Murad, and writing his story, some moments were very hard for me. It’s different when we read about stories of people that had to flee from ISIS in the media and when we actually get to know them personally. For me, Murad is an example of a young guy, that suffered too much, but yet remained unbroken and now is taking the most out of every single day. I am truly proud that I could get to know him. 

When The World Calls You: Interview With Zuzana Kuranová

Zuzana is a Logistic Manager for STEP-IN’s mission in Dohuk, Iraq. She has an extensive experience in a humanitarian field since she has previously worked on projects in Uganda and Cambodia. Her knowledge and skills are an inspiration for all of us. 

I: Why did you decide to come to Iraq and work with STEP-IN?

Z: The first reason was to find out about the problematic in the Middle East, especially the refugees and IDP’s. I wanted to see it with my own eyes and make my own opinion. In Europe people seem to have a very negative opinion about this problematic. Second reason was to get to know the country and its people. Also, I’ve heard very good references about STEP-IN’s work in Iraq and I knew that I would love to work with them. First I came only for 3 months. I ended up staying for one year. You can see how much I loved it. [laughs]

I: Before coming to Iraq, you have worked also in Uganda and Cambodia. What was your experience there?

Z: First, I was in Uganda. After seeing a huge need to have a clinic for HIV positive children, doctor Silharova decided to start one. At that time, she needed an administration and logistics support. One of her friends got in touch with me and I went to Uganda. Together we established the clinic. The experience was very fruitful.

After that I went straight to Cambodia. There I was responsible for 2 orphanages for HIV children. It was hard to run an orphanage. In total there were 120 children. The project there was already running for 12 years so by the time I came, children were already teenagers. They had a lot of problems with confidence, existence and they were having a hard time dealing with some aspects of HIV. Therefore, it was more emotional support they needed.

Also the work with the local people in Cambodia was quite difficult. Their personality is very much different from Africans, which I was used to. Africans are very talkative, straight and somewhat unrestrained, but in a good way. Asians are the opposite. Maybe because of the past experience of Khmer Rouge’s regime, they became quite submissive. But the truth is that it is very hard for them to open to you. With children it was the exact opposite. This is a result of a long lasting impact of foreigners that were working in a project. It was common that they were hugging us. What kids loved the most was touching your belly and they were always happy when they found foreigners with a big belly, especially our professor.

I: Do you have an example of something that you did during your time at projects, which does not typically fall under the duties of logistic manager?

Z: In Uganda, we run this small project. Its aim was to establish a chicken farm with 100 chickens. At the beginning we needed to find out what we are actually going to need. So the first thing was to build an African style shelter.

[At this point I just started to laugh. But Zuzka continued with a serious tone…]

Then we needed a well. So we started digging but there was no water. The main problem in Africa is access to water. So we used this hole as a toilet. Anyway, we needed to get water there one way or another because chicken cannot exist without it. Therefore, we built a concrete square under the wall, we covered it and there we had our water source. After that, we built a shelter and we bought chicken. Fun did not end there because just then we learnt that chicken need vaccination every 6 weeks. We hired one guy – chicken man we called him – he lived on a farm and took care of all those small chicks. After we had eggs, they were sold on a local market. The money we got from selling them were used for the needs of the clinic and women with HIV.

I: After all you have seen and experienced, what surprised you about Iraq? 

Z: What truly surprised me, in a nice way, is that wherever you come, either into an office of someone or you visit people in the camp, everyone is so hospitable. Wherever you come, first thing you receive is a very strong and sweet Iraqi tea. At the beginning I could not get used to it since it was so sweet but now I am addicted to it. Another thing very nice about the Kurdish people is that you don’t need to take care about your personal things. Like your purse. You loose it on the street and there is someone running after you saying: “Madam, madam, your purse.” They don’t steal your things. In Africa you really need to watch your back, but here its not the case.

I: Can you think of something funny that you have come across in this country?

Z: The way people ‘go hiking’ is rather funny. They get into their off road car, drive really up on the mountains, even on the top if possible, get out of the car, look around and say: Wooow, its beautiful – we did a great hike. They take some pictures, get into the car again and drive back home. Here hiking is an equivalent to driving. [laughs]

I: You are leaving Iraq in couple of weeks. What are you going to miss the most?

Z: I am going to miss the people I worked with. My colleagues and the local staff. Here, I met local people that showed me a lot about this country. Kurdistan is somehow very specific. People here are willing to help you any time which is not so common in Slovakia. Its been an honor for me to work with locals and foreigners here in Iraq. Also, I became friends with people from Europe that had the same goal as I did. After all, I hope I will bring this message of what I’ve learnt here back to Slovakia.

I: How did your experience in humanitarian field change your perception of the world?

Z: The first thing I learnt is not to judge people based on how they look or what others say about them. Now I know, that I need to always make an opinion about something or someone by myself. Also it taught me to be more tolerant. All humans around the world are only trying to survive and be happy.

I: After 5 years living abroad, you are returning back to Slovakia. How do you feel about that?

Z: Honestly, I am a little bit afraid whether I am going to get used to it back in Slovakia. Its been a long 5 years that I was living abroad in a completely different environment. But I believe and I hope that I will be able to use my experience from abroad at home. My friends used to tell me: “Why are you going abroad to help people there when your own people in Slovakia have problems here?” The truth is that I went abroad to understand different views and people. Now I ready to contribute my knowledge and experience from abroad back to Slovakia.  

Work in Iraq sometimes includes dealing with unpleasant
weather conditions. 

I: You have an extensive experience with projects with developing and humanitarian projects in third world countries. What would be your advice to young people that might be interested in doing this kind of volunteer work? 

Z: Young people have a lot of enthusiasm and energy to make a difference. I do strongly support and encourage them to go and try something different from what they are used to. The best knowledge is your own experience. It will give you a wider look and a freedom of self judgment. You will see the problematic not only from the media and what politicians say but also from your personal experience. You’ll gain some of the best experiences you can achieve in your life. Just go. Don’t sit on your chair at home.

Zuzana is leaving Iraq next week after one year of working here. She is returning to Slovakia full of hope that her experience will be used to the benefit of her country and the people. She certainly did that here in Iraq. Her personality and past experience certainly brought a lot to all of us in STEP-IN and also to the project itself. During her time here, Zuzana did not know such a thing as a work shifts. Many times, after she finished her work in the camp, she would come back home and worked until late at night on everything that was needed. The time that she invested into the project certainly made a difference and we are grateful for it.