A symbol of how a city can rise from the ruins of war, the Great Mosque of al-Nuri is being reopened by Iraq’s prime minister. According to Rudaw media in the autonomous Kurdistan region, “Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani is set to visit the northern city of Mosul on Monday to reopen the historic al-Nuri Mosque, which was leveled during the Islamic State’s (ISIS) brutal rule over the city,” a lawmaker from Mosul said.
Sherwan Dubardani, a Kurdish lawmaker and member of the Iraqi parliament, told Rudaw that Sudani will visit the city “for the purpose of reopening the al-Nuri Mosque,” the report said.
This is important because it comes more than eight years after ISIS was defeated in Mosul and two months after Mosul’s airport was reopened.
ISIS conquered Mosul in 2014 and held it for three years. The battle to retake the city from the worldwide jihadist organization began in October 2016 and lasted until the summer of 2017. ISIS held out in Mosul’s Old City on the western bank of the Tigris River until its final defeat.
In the final moments of the last battle in Mosul, ISIS destroyed the historic mosque. It had a leaning minaret known as al-Hadba. Rudaw noted that the minaret had been beloved in Mosul for 850 years. The “leaning minaret appears on Iraq’s 10,000 dinar banknote,” he said. Built in 1172, the minaret began to lean in the 14th century, similar to the Leaning Tower of Pisa.
The United Nations’ educational, scientific, and cultural organization (UNESCO) led the effort to rebuild the site. The UAE, as well, played a key role, contributing $50 million to the project. “A UAE delegation and Kurdistan Region Interior Minister Reber Ahmed are also set to attend the reopening ceremony,” Rudaw said.
A symbol of how extremists can be defeated
Mosul is now a symbol of how extremists can be defeated. ISIS ruled the city with terror and used its rule to expel Christians and then massacre and enslave members of the Yazidi minority. However, Iraq ran a successful war to remove the jihadist group. It enabled the city’s two million people to leave ISIS’s control and move to IDP camps.
Then the Iraqi army slowly retook the city. It was a successful urban warfare model in which terrorists were defeated. Although there was damage to Mosul, the success of the Iraqis in clearing ISIS out of neighborhoods enabled part of the city to remain relatively unscathed, primarily its eastern portion. The Old City was badly damaged.
Now, Mosul is not only a symbol of how groups can be defeated, but also how cities can be rebuilt and thrive.
Once the heart of the Iraqi insurgency against the United States, Mosul was rebuilt and is now peaceful. It was also famous for its support of Saddam Hussein during his rule of Iraq. Now the city has changed. The role of UNESCO was also helpful in restoring the city.
The battle for Mosul may have some lessons for Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza. Enabling civilians to move out of Hamas control, for instance, would enable the defeat of the terrorist perpetrators of October 7. In addition, a post-war plan to rebuild Gaza would help to bring possible peace. Israel faces hurdles in this because it has left organizations such as UNESCO. However, countries such as the UAE will likely be willing to help rebuild Gaza if Hamas is removed.