Freedom of religion in Iraq

According to the most recent government statistics, 97% of the population ofIraqwasMuslimin 2010 (60%Shiaand 40%Sunni); the constitution states that Islam is the official religion of the country.

In 2023, Iraq was scored 1 out of 4 for religious freedom.

In the same year, it was ranked as the 18th worst place in the world to be a Christian.

Background

In the 2010s, uprisings of theIslamic State(IS), formerly called the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), have led to violations of religious freedom in certain parts of Iraq. IS is aSunnijihadistgroup that claims religious authority over allMuslimsaround the worldand aspires to bring most of the Muslim-inhabited regions of the world under its political control beginning withIraq.ISIS follows an extreme anti-Western interpretation of Islam, promotes religious violence and regards those who do not agree with its interpretations as infidels or apostates. Concurrently, IS aims to establish aSalafist-orientated Islamist state in Iraq, Syria and other parts of the Levant.

As ISIL lost territory throughout Iraq in 2016, the armed forces and allied militias restored crosses, and Christians were allowed to return to their homes.

Status of religious freedom

In 2006The Globecorrespondent Khidir Domle stated that theKurdistan Regional Government(KRG) engaged in discriminatory behaviour against Christians, and that according toAssyrianChristians, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP)-dominated judiciary did so routinely against Assyrians, failing to enforce judgments in their favour. The KRG rejected these accusations.

In 2022, local and international NGOs reported that the government continued to use antiterrorism laws as a pretext for detaining individuals without due process (mostly Sunni Arabs).Yezidis and Christians have also reported verbal and physically abuse from local people; in September 2022, members of the local police and a private security company connected with the Shia militia Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) threatened to evict 400 internally displaced Christians from the Mariam al-Adra IDP camp in Baghdad.

In 2022, ISIS were still in active in Iraq, carrying out kidnappings and murders; PKK activity is also ongoing.

Recognition

The government recognizes the following religious groups; Muslims, Chaldeans, Assyrians,Assyrian Catholics,Syriac Orthodox,Syriac Catholics,Armenian Apostolic,Armenian Catholics,Roman Catholics,NationalProtestants,Anglicans,Evangelical Protestant Assyrians,Seventh-day Adventists,Coptic Orthodox,Yezidis,Sabean-Mandeans,andJews;all recognized religious groups (except Yezidis) have their own personal-status courts which handle marriage, divorce and inheritance issues.Baha’i,ZoroastrianandKaka’igroups are not allowed to register with the government, although they are recognized in Kurdish areas; Baha'ism is illegal.

Education

Government regulations require three classes a week of Islamic instruction in public schools - non-Muslim students are not required to participate; there is no requirement for religious education in Kurdish areas.

Identity cards

In 2016, the country started issuing identity cards - cards do not denote the bearer’s religion, although the application form requires this information, and it is held on the card's data chip. Citizens must identify as Christian, Sabean-Mandean, Yezidi, Jewish, or Muslim.

Conversion laws

The law prohibits the conversion of Muslims to other religions; where one person is Muslim or converts to Islam, their children are automatically seen as Muslim.

See also

• Religion in Iraq
• Human rights in Iraq

References

• United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.Iraq: International Religious Freedom Report 2007.This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.