Locations
In the blistering heat of August 2014, the world watched in silence as the unthinkable unfolded. Entire Yazidi families were ripped apart, villages turned into graveyards, and women and girls were sold, enslaved, and silenced. What happened on Sinjar Mountain was not just a humanitarian catastrophe—it was a genocide, an attempt to erase a people, their culture, their spirit. But from the ashes of that horror, where hope seemed impossible, a new generation has begun to rise.
Among them is a young Yazidi girl, named Ikhlas who was little girl at that time. With fire in her heart and cleats on her feet, Ikhlas' battlefield is now the football pitch, and her dream—to one day play professionally for the Iraq National Team—is not just a personal ambition, but a quiet act of defiance. In her story, we find not only the pain of the past, but the promise of a future that was never meant to be stolen.
A Difficult Beginning
“We fled from Qahtaniyah on foot — seven days without food or water... Ikhlas cried from hunger. Today, she smiles every time she scores a goal.”
— Faiza, Ikhlas’ sister
When ISIS swept through Qahtaniyah, Ikhlas was only four years old. Her sister Faiza, now a humanitarian worker, recalls those harsh days:
“We escaped on foot to the Syrian border. We endured hunger, thirst, and slept under the open sky for seven long days. Ikhlas, just a little girl then, wept from hunger and thirst. But we endured. We were heroes.”
After their displacement, the family settled in displacement camps in Zakho, Duhok Governorate, for six months before moving to Sheikhan in Erbil.
The Birth of a Passion
“Sport brings people together and spreads peace. Football became my way of expressing myself.”
— Ikhlas Imran
Despite the hardship, Ikhlas discovered her passion — football.
“Since she was little, she loved the game,” Faiza says. “I used to take her with me to all community football activities. Today, I’m proud to call her an exceptional player.”
The Dream Lives On
Now 15 years old, Ikhlas sees football as a bridge between people — a force for peace. She dreams of playing for Iraq’s national women’s team, representing her hometown, Qahtaniyah, and all Yazidi women with pride.
“I wear number 7 because Cristiano Ronaldo is my idol... I dream of meeting him one day to tell him the story of Yazidi women.”
— Ikhlas
Real Madrid is Ikhlas' favorite club and she celebrates her goals just like her football hero, Cristiano Ronaldo.
“Number 7 is his number, and he’s my inspiration,” she says. “One day, I hope to meet him and share with him the story of what happened to Yazidi women — to send a message to the world through him.”
First Championship
“I’m proud of my team… I scored four goals and we won the first women’s championship in Qahtaniyah!”
— Ikhlas
In a historic achievement, Ikhlas and her team won the first women’s football tournament ever held in Qahtaniyah — organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and funded by the Government of Japan, as part of the initiative to strengthen social cohesion and build peace in the area.
She didn’t just lift the trophy — she was also the tournament’s top scorer with four goals.
A Message to Every Girl
“Believe in your dreams. Nothing is impossible. Football is not only for men — just like every other field. We are just as capable of shining.”
— Ikhlas