Her name is Noor …
26 January 2018
Noor is 8 years old and has experienced terror, heartbreak and sorrow too intense for our emotions to handle or our mind to fathom. Noor’s mother died from cancer a mere 3 months after giving birth to her, and that marked her first experience with tragedy. Unfortunately, no one could have anticipated what was yet to come for her.
When ISIS invaded Mosul she was 4 years old, her house was raided and her father was executed, tied to car and dragged through the streets in front of her eyes. ISIS terrorists did not stop there, they executed her only brother, her aunt, her husband, and their children all in front of her eyes. She and her two older sisters were captured by ISIS and later separated. To this day, the two older sisters have not been heard from.
Noor spent 3 years as a prisoner of ISIS before they decided to sell her – a vile tradition they are known for. She was advertised on their social media sites as though she was property to be bought and sold. An Iraqi woman living abroad saw her picture and negotiated her purchase for $200 dollars. This was God’s plan to facilitate Noor’s rescue through what would eventually be obvious as an act of kindness by a random individual.
Soon after being sold, Noor was transported to live with the woman who bought her. This lasted for several months but the woman’s intention was always to reunite Noor with her family. Through communication with an orphanage in with Iraq, it was decided that the best course of action would be for Noor to be transferred to an orphanage in Iraq while they commence a search for remaining relatives. After a few months of campaigning, her younger aunt who was spared the events of Mosul because she was caring for a sick child in a different city, found the campaign photos of her niece. In April of 2017, Noor was reunited with her aunt and is currently living with her.
Although Noor has been rescued, her road to recovery will be a long one. The aftermath of so much terror and destruction has left a deep psychological impact on her. Noor suffers from severe post-traumatic stress disorder, she has episodes of hysteria, lives with debilitating fear, and spends most of her time in isolation.
Noor was registered with Al-Ayn, in 2017, through the foundations psychological rehabilitation program for Victims of Terrorism, a team of specialists have been working with Noor on a path to a successful recovery. Noor’s unfortunate circumstances may have subjected her to all the pain she experienced but they do not have to define her for the rest of her life.
Sponsor a child like Noor and be the difference needed to change their circumstance.
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