Returning to Iraq to Bury My Brothers

On July 9, 2025, the Iraqi government released a list of 22 individuals whose remains had been identified nearly 11 years after ISIS committed genocide against the Yazidi community in northern Iraq. Among them were my brothers, Elias and Jalo Murad—finally, a chance to say goodbye and offer them the dignity they deserve.

• Elias, born in 1973, was the eldest of 11 siblings—a devoted mechanic who did everything he could to care for our family. He provided shoes in winter, found doctors for the sick, and was a loving husband and father of five, with another child on the way.

  
  

• Jalo, two years younger, was a hardworking welder with a fascination for nature and wildlife. Whether watching National Geographic or offering quiet humor, he was a loving father of three and faithfully supported his pregnant wife during the ISIS invasion in August 2014.

  

  Nadia Murad (Nobel Peace Prize laureate and human rights activist)

A Final Goodbye at Last

When ISIS stormed our village of Kocho in August 2014, they gave our brothers the choice: convert or die. We never hesitated—Elias and Jalo refused to betray their faith or identity.

Years passed as we waited for any news. When their names appeared at numbers 11 and 12 on the list, relief and grief collided. This moment of closure brought both sorrow and gratitude—but countless others, including my mother and nieces, remain missing.

From Pain to Purpose

Every day, I carry their memory forward. My grief fuels my activism—this is personal. I’m determined to honor their legacy, to spotlight individual lives behind the statistics of war. May their stories remind us of the urgent need for moral accountability, justice, and peace.

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