"Do not give in to fear": Young Iraqis appeal to France

There are numerous Middle Eastern delegations in Krakow: Flags from Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and even an Iranian flag. Iraqis are mostly from Baghdad and Erbil: They read of the attacks in Rouen and Nice "with sorrow and solidarity". But the World Youth Day is "the right setting to send a message of hope: do not be overwhelmed by hatred." Also in the Iraqi capital today, "the attacks are more and more often the work of marginalized and antisocial, lone wolves,who only want chaos."

Krakow (AsiaNews) - The French and other European nations affected by terrorism "must not give in to fear. Listen to those of us who live with terror every day: the real weapon against these massacres is the smile that comes from hope. On the other hand, Christ is with us every day, and this is the real guarantee for the world", says Fatima Kassid, a young Iraqi from Baghdad who came to Krakow for the XXXI World Youth Day speaking to AsiaNews.

The two million young pilgrims estimated to visit the Polish cultural capital seem to be confirmed. The Pope arrives in Wawel Castle to meet the political authorities, the president of Duda and local bishops. The area around the episcopal see of the city is a military zone: Mariacki Square (see photo) is stationed with armored cars that - even if they have the symbol of the Red Cross - inspire fear. Except for the Middle Eastern groups, who now consider them a part of their usual scene.

Fatima also notices this, "the fear I see in my peers before the armored cars and tanks makes me think about how different we are. For us missiles, walls riddled by gunshots, rubble is now the norm. Here they are reminiscent of some kind of disaster. This is nice because it means that war and hatred have not yet prevailed in the world, despite the terrible news events of recent days".

The murder of the parish priest of Rouen has provoked a very strong sense of discomfort in the Iraqi delegation: some French young, drunk, accused them on the street of "pampering the terrorists."

Fatima in response started to cry: "We have them at home, it is true, but we certainly do not protect them. And the authors of the attacks in Europe are not from the Middle East fleeing their country to sow terror, but children of Europe. The words of those young people hurt me, but my friend Samir stopped them and talked with them explaining who we are and where we come from. After we went to have a beer together”.

During this exchange, Fatima invited the young people - from Lyon – to a catechesis that took place this morning in the Arabic language in a church just outside the center of Krakow. At the end of the reflection, they had lunch together: "I told them not to be afraid, because fear strengthens whoever causes it. A smile, this is the only response of young Iraqi Christians to the threats of the fundamentalists. With a simple smile we can disassemble any fundamentalism. Although often these attacks are not children of an ideology even in Iraq”.

In her country, she explains, "more and more often we discover that behind the suicide massacres are not fanatics of Islam, but misfits and loners. Many are duped by promises, but more and more people agree to kill for money. There are no jobs and there is little hope for the future, so if added to the money is some vague promise of paradise you will find many people ready to commit suicide. At least tto help their family".

Taking up the "motto" of St. John Paul II - the "do not be afraid" that accompanied the entire pontificate of John Paul II - Fatima concludes: "If you keep Jesus Christ at the heart of everything, it also becomes easy to smile in the face of evil. Christ is with us every day, and this is the real guarantee for the world. I lost many friends and relatives, in the wars and the following years, and I hated it. Now I'm here and I try not to hate anymore. The mercy of Pope Francis for me is not just about forgiving, but not hating. It is very difficult, but I think that this, this really can change the world".

• Poland
• Krakow
• VATICAN
• WYD
• iraq
• terrorist
• attacks
• rouen
• nice
• afraid
• mercy