04 Oct 2024 | Updated 10 Dec 2024
Khalsa Aid team travelled to areas of Kurdish Iraq to IDP camps to
plant trees in memory of lost family members who perished as a result of ISIS attacks.
The planting of a tree is symbolic in many ways. For some it memorializes the loss of a loved one. For some, it commemorates a significant event such as birth or an anniversary.
The Khalsa Aid Iraq team along with volunteers from other countries travelled to outlying areas of Kurdish Iraq to IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps to plant trees in memory of lost family members who perished as a result of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) attacks on their homes.
ISIS emerged from the remnants of al Qaeda in Iraq in the early 2000’s. It is a splinter group with a particularly violent ideology based on promoting reactionary political and religious fundamentalism. They claim religious authority over all Muslims and non-Muslims.
ISIS swept through large areas of northwestern (Kurdish) Iraq and eastern Syria in 2014. They captured and violently murdered all ethnic and religious minorities in their path to take a stronghold of the region. Thousands of innocent citizens caught in the crossfire were able to escape walking through a battlefield, before taking refuge in safer regions. To resettle the displaced citizens, many temporary encampments were erected by the Kurdish government in conjunction with a number of international governments, non-government organizations (NGO) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
The Mamliyan Camp is just one of several camps that was resurrected in the Duhok area of Kurdish Iraq to temporarily house upto 3000 IDPs. However 197 families and approximately 1000 individuals still call this camp home and will for the foreseeable future. It is now a permanent settlement with its own infrastructure of 2 schools, social centres, and a medical clinic. Some of the residents work outside of the camp but most rely on a government stipend and donations made by foreign governments and NGOs.
All residents of this and in fact all of the camp settlements have suffered tremendous loss. To memorialize lost family members, each family unit was given 2 trees to plant on behalf of Khalsa Aid. These trees will mature and provide much needed shade to the camp as it is located in an isolated desert area.
Trees were also planted in one of the school’s courtyard. All of the children have either lost a parent, sibling or a close family member. Despite the incredible loss, all of the children showed such resiliency and strength. They shared their dreams of becoming upstanding citizens in their community.
November, 2019 also marked the 550th birthday of the founding father of the Sikh faith. Guru Nanak Dev Ji, was a lover of nature. His writings and pronouncements inspire people to look at nature as the divine presence of the Creator and to form a loving relationship with their environment. The trees planted at the camp also commemorated this significant day as well.
Tree-planting purifies the air and supplies oxygen, evaporation from the leaves supplies all living things with rainwater, and the roots stabilise the Earth. Seen through a spiritual lens, the taller the tree, the deeper the roots, which indicates the value of humility. Governments need humility to acknowledge the effects of environmentally damaging policies and to tackle the climate crisis effectively.
