Sheikh Mohamed wanted culture of life in Mosul to defeat culture of death, UAE minister says

Noura Al Kaabi describes 'wonderful feeling' of seeing Iraqi city's UAE-led restoration completed

The UAE's Minister of State Noura Al Kaabi stood proudly in Mosul's Al Nuri Mosque, witnessing a project close to her heart come to life.

Seven years after she signed the first agreement in the Iraqi capital, what began as a funding push became a full-scale project to remove the scars of ISIS.

"When the President [Sheikh Mohamed] instructed us in 2018 to fly to Baghdad and sign an MOU between us and between the Ministry of Culture and Unesco, he didn't want us to waste time," the Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told The National in an interview in Mosul on Monday.

UAE-led restoration project removes scars of Mosul’s ISIS destruction

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"He wanted the culture of life, the culture of hope, to defeat the culture of death that Daesh wanted to spread in this region," added Ms Al Kaabi, speaking inside one of two churches that the UAE-led project helped restore as well.

"It's a wonderful feeling. I feel incredible, but I feel there's more to do."

The battle for the city, in its alleys and centuries-old streets, was among the most brutal in Iraq’s recent history. It marked the beginning of the end for ISIS after the extremists had seized 30 per cent of Iraq and threatened Baghdad itself.

The UAE's Minister of State Noura Al Kaabi at Al Nuri Mosque in Mosul. Mina Al-Oraibi / The National

Other remnants of destruction are still visible in Mosul, particularly in the old neighbourhood, where ruined homes and piles of rubble bear witness to the fierce battles.

But the seven-year project in the 2,500-year-old Iraqi city, which created training and job opportunities for around 3,500 Moslawis, stands as an inspiration and a beacon of hope for the region to reclaim its reputation as a diverse city and an important hub.

"I feel for the UAE, to be one of the leading countries to be proactive and donate for the restoration ... that by itself shows what the UAE is about, what the legacy or the ethos of Sheikh Zayed is about," affirmed Ms Al Kaabi, speaking from the newly rebuilt Clock Church.

The UAE funded Unesco in a $50.4 million initiative driven by its Ministry of Culture, part of a total of $115 million mobilised for the project.

However, the success of the project in the minister's eyes goes beyond the funding and beyond the bricks placed to restore such buildings.

Inside Al Nuri Mosque on the day the Mosul landmark was officially reopened. AFP

"It's the people-to-people, it's their commitment," she insisted, after walking the centuries-old alleys of the city and being greeted with music and dance by residents as they celebrated the completion of project Revive the Spirit of Mosul.

"When you give hope to people and you bring back the spirit of a place that they are part of, we share the same," she added.

"We share how important is restoring and reawakening such monuments, not just for the facade, but for living in a place that is prosperous, a place that celebrates people from multicultural backgrounds, people from different faiths."

ISIS fighters shell-shocked Iraq and the world when they seized Mosul in June 2014 after a brief battle with the army which quickly withdrew, turning the city and its ancient labyrinth of alleyways into a launchpad for a brutal regional campaign.

It was from the same mosque that ISIS’s former leader, Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi, declared a “caliphate” in July that year. His video, climbing the stairs to deliver his first sermon, is etched into the collective memory of Iraqis and the world.

For Ms Al Kaabi, "coexistence and stability" are what will bring hope to the young Muslims and to the region.

"I believe the darkness that Daesh wanted to spread is now lit by the people of Mosul, by the women and children of Mosul," she affirmed. "We will never be able to forget the history or the past, but I think we can redefine what the future is."