In Iraq's Biblical lands, scattered Christians ask 'should I stay or go?'

Thanoun Yahya, an Iraqi Christian is seen near his home which he reclaimed when Islamic State militants was driven out, in Mosul, Iraq February 21, 2021. Picture taken February 21, 2021. REUTERS/Thaier al-Sudani

MOSUL, Iraq (Reuters) - A jihadist message, "Islamic State endures", is still graffitied on the front gate of Thanoun Yahya, an Iraqi Christian from the northern city of Mosul, scrawled by Islamist militants who occupied his home for three years when they ruled the city.

He refuses to remove it, partly in defiance of the militants who were eventually beaten by Iraqi forces, but also as a reminder that Iraq's scattered and dwindling Christian community still lives a precarious existence.