When the Islamic State drove Christians from their homes in Qaraqoush, Iraq last year, little did they know that a 10-year-old refugee's forgiveness for them would go viral and inspire Christians all over the world.
The young girl, named Myriam, was interviewed by Sat 7 reporter Essam Nagy who was brought to tears by some of the young Iraqi girl's heartfelt answers. She talked to Nagy about how she was driven from her home in Iraq to her current refugee camp in Erbil, Kurdistan, but made a point to say that she doesn't hold any resentment towards the terrorist group and forgives them.
"Sometimes I cry because we left our home, and Qaraqoush. I'm not angry at God because we left Qaraqoush. I thank Him because he provided us, even if we're suffering here, He provides for us," she said.
The seven-minute video in Arabic with English subtitles has been shown across multiple worldwide press outlets and has been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on YouTube.
Young Myriam continues to have a positive spirit throughout the video, even as she talks about how much she misses her home in Qaraqoush. When asked what she misses most, the ten-year-old says that God provides for her, even though ISIS drove her family from their home.
"God loves us, and wouldn't let ISIS kill us," she said. Myriam recognized that God not only loves her, but loves everyone. Nagy then asked Myriam if she thought that God also loves the members of ISIS, and she replied, "He loves them, but He doesn't love Satan."
"I won't do anything to them," she continued. "I will only ask God to forgive them. I'm just sad they drove us out of our homes. Why did they do that?"
Qaraqoush was Iraq's largest Christian village until ISIS drove out tens of thousands of Christians from the area in early August of 2014. During the takeover, many Iraqis showed disgust at the country's government for not doing anything about ISIS, but praised the United States for its military actions against the terrorist group and its humanitarian aid efforts to the refugees.
"The president sent all of his family outside of the country while all of us are living like dogs," one woman said in a video interview with Middle East Eye.
That type of non-response from most of the world regarding the systematic evacuation of Christians from the Middle East is what makes young Myriam's message all the more powerful.
"Do you know that Jesus will never forsake you," Nagy asks, admitting later that Myriam has taught him so much already.
"He will never forsake me," Myriam says with no doubt in her voice. "If you're a true believer, He will never forsake you."
Myriam ends the interview with a song which she sings to show her love for Jesus and her excitement for reuniting with him again one day. The song, and her message, have inspired the hashtag #PrayForMyriam which is spreading across social media in support of the girl and all Christian refugees suffering in the Middle East.
