Doms in Iraq
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 50,000–200,000[1] | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Basra, Baghdad and Nasiriya[2] | |
| Languages | |
| Domari[3]andMesopotamian Arabic | |
| Religion | |
| Islam(Shia and Sunni)[1] | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Romani in Syria |
TheKawliya,QawliyaorAwaz,Keche-Hjälp(Arabic:كاولية or كاولي), also known asZottandGhorbati(known in English asGypsies), is a community inIraqofIndianorigin, estimated to number over 60,000 people. Today, they speak mostlyArabic,while theirethnolectis a mixture ofPersian,KurdishandTurkish,which is only spoken by the older generations. The largest tribes are the Bu-Baroud, Bu-Swailem, Bu-Helio, Bu-Dakhil, Bu-Akkar, Bu-Murad, Bu-Thanio, Bu-Shati, Al-Farahedah, Al-Mtairat, Bu-Khuzam, Bu-Abd, Bu-Nasif, Bu-Delli and Al-Nawar. Their main occupation is entertainment, and also small trades.
The Kawliya migrated fromIndiaapproximately 1,000 years ago.
Kawliya is also the name of a former village in theAl-Qādisiyyah GovernoratenearAl Diwaniyah,located about 100 miles southeast ofBaghdad,where they live.[4]
Iraqi Roma predominantly reside in remote villages in southern Iraq, particularly in Al-Qadissiya governorate, in addition to the surrounding areas of Baghdad, Basra, and Mosul. Despite the fact that most Romani people in Iraq belong to the Shi’a or Sunni Muslim faith, they face persecution from Islamic militias due to their customary roles as performers.[5]
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^abRefugees, United Nations High Commissioner for."Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Iraq: Roma".Refworld.
- ^"The Iraqi gypsies living on the fringes of society".4 March 2015.
- ^"Romani, Domari in Iraq".
- ^Shadid, Anthony (3 April 2004)."In a Gypsy Village's Fate, An Image of Iraq's Future".The Washington Post.Archived fromthe originalon 23 February 2017.Retrieved23 October2016.
- ^"Roma in Iraq".16 October 2023.
Further reading[edit]
- Zeidel, Ronen (2014). "Gypsies and Society in Iraq: Between Marginality, Folklore and Romanticism".Middle Eastern Studies.50:74–85.doi:10.1080/00263206.2013.849696.S2CID144448156.
- "Minorities in Iraq: Memory, Identity and Challenges (Chapter of Gypsies in Iraq), Masarat Publication, Baghdad, 2013".
- Chris Chapman; Preti Taneja (10 January 2009).Uncertain refuge, dangerous return: Iraq's uprooted minorities.Minority Rights Group International.ISBN978-1-904584-90-2.
| Religions | |
|---|---|
| Ethnic groups | |
| Foreign nationals | |
