During the captivity of Mosul under ISIS many young women were forced into early marriage. Sometimes this was from their captors other times the family would pressure girls to marry a cousin or extended family members in fear that they could be taken by ISIS. Enam was one such girl, who at 15 years old was forced to marry her cousin. Unfortunately her cousin was sick, unable to work, and in his own frustration and fear beat his new wife. Enam tried many times to seek out reconciliation or advice to no avail.
After seven years of living in an abusive atmosphere Enam couldn’t handle it and requested a divorce. As is customary, Enam moved back in with her parents along with her seven-year-old son. To help provide for her and her son, she got a job working at a salon. Her father felt ashamed that his daughter was working while he couldn’t find a job. In his rage he visited the salon and broke her equipment and left.
After all this hardship and sadness Enam was plotting how to take revenge from her former husband. She felt that he was the cause of all this pain and hardship. In a place of bitterness and pain, Enam came to participate in our Character Development training in Iraq which invests in people to help them move past their trauma, grow in their character and become better leaders for the future.
Courageously Enam chose to forgive her former husband, releasing her from the cycle of anger, rage, and revenge. While she won’t forget all the pain, through the training she now realizes that unforgiveness is a prison that holds the person captive. After forgiving, Enam no longer desires to take revenge and now even prays for her former husband.
