Our Top 5—The Best of the Blog in 2014

Clouds spill over the mountains near Chamchammal

Happy New Year! I know, we’re super late with that, but we hope 2015 is off to a great start.

How do you typically start your New Year? Are you reflective? Do you set goals?

Around here, we’re resolved to look back and remember significant moments! So, before we leave January behind and step further into 2015, we wanted to look back at some of your favorite blog posts of the year.

Together, they tell a remarkable story of your impact. Here are the top 5.

Someone holding a print photograph of a house destroyed by ISIS violence.1. What’s Really Happening in Iraq–Our Take. When ISIS rolled into Mosul, all eyes were on Iraq again for the first time in years. But headlines make it hard to see nuance, and Iraq is a large, diverse, complicated country. Here was our attempt at providing you on-the-ground insight into what was really happening in Iraq.

 

save lives on the frontlines of war

 
A collection of email forwards; a collection of sectarian rumours.2. Dissecting an Email Forward–3 Rumors, 3 Actions. Is ISIS beheading Christian children? Are Christians being ‘systematically killed?’ Read our response and a few actions you can take against groups like ISIS.

 

Muslim leaders gather to decry the persecution of Christians.3. World’s Top Muslim Leaders Condemn Attacks on Iraqi Christians. At a time when Christian leaders in Iraq have called on Muslim leaders worldwide to denounce the anti-Christian violence in the country, top voices have taken a strong stand against the persecution of Christians.

 

Sinan holds a photo of his friend, dying of thirst on Mount Sinjar.4. On the Phone with Dying Yezidis–Meet Sinan. Sinan’s 23 year-old Iraqi friend wasn’t dying from a car crash or a bullet wound. He was one of the estimated 50,000 Yezidis stranded on Sinjar Mountain who were dying of thirst, besieged by Islamic State militants.

 

The sun sets in Kurdistan, dipping behind mountains and a golden field.5. The Kurds–8 Photos That Show Off Iraqi Kurdistan’s Beauty. As Kurds in Iraq made national headlines, we took a few days to give you a more intimate look at these people, their culture, and the reasons this small crescent of land could play such an important role in determining Iraq’s future.