Christianity in Iraq

Iraqi Christians form among the religious communities in Iraq today a small religious minority, facing a Muslim majority.

Before the conquest by Islam in the 7th century, and a few centuries later they formed the majority population in what is now Iraq. Through the Islamic expansion they were a minority in their own country. Church History come from the Christians in Iraq, mainly the Syrian, especially next to the Armenian Christianity. The Christians in Iraq, similar to the Christians in Egypt ( Copts ), located here in a double minority role: On the one hand, they form a religious minority, on the other hand this is also identical to an indigenous ethnic minority of the Syro -Aramaic -speaking population. Aramaic was in the course of Islamization replaced more and more by the Arab ( Arab imperialism ), so that it has often received only as a liturgical language.

Historical Aspects

The area of present-day Iraq is a land of the Bible, especially in relation to the Old Testament. The paradise of the creation story and the flood to be localized in one part of Mesopotamia. The family of Abraham comes from the area of Ur - the earlier Sumerian Chaldea. Before the turn of time this name was also common for astrologers Persian or Zoroastrian origin ( see also Star of the Magi ). In early Christianity, Christianity spread rapidly throughout the Middle East and also resulted in the Roman, Byzantine and Sasanidenreich to a large number of churches, headed by bishops. Supreme Bishop was the Catholicos, who resided in the capital, under the Sassanids in Seleucia - Ctesiphon, in the Islamic period in Baghdad or in or at Mosul. Inner Religious clashes of late antiquity, population movements and modern Western Union's efforts led to the formation of competing denominations, the say in today's image of Christianity in Iraq.

The churches in Iraq

The main present church organizations are:

• The Patriarchate of Babylon of the Chaldean Catholic Church with East Syriac liturgy, partly in Arabic. Its members are called Chaldeans. The patriarch is at the same time before the diocese Baghdad. Other dioceses are: Alqosh, Amadiya, Aqra, Arbela, Basra, Kirkuk, Mosul, Zakho. A Patriarchalseminare there in Baghdad, a project managed by the Dominicans at Mosul.
• The Assyrian Church of the East ( also Nestorians ) and its breakaway Ancient Church of the East with East Syriac liturgy. Her followers call themselves preferably as Assyrians. For them, bishops act in Baghdad, Dihok, Kirkuk and Mosul, including Catholicos Addai II
• The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch, in the local area formerly organized as a " Maphrianate of the East", with westsyrischer liturgy. Your relatives is called today, especially in the diaspora, like Syrians. You have bishops based in Baghdad, in the early church monastery Mor Mattai, in Mosul and give a seminar there.
• The Syriac Catholic Church has an archbishopric in Baghdad and one in Mosul.
• The Armenian Apostolic Church with its own archbishop of Etchmiadzin Catholicosate in Baghdad with Armenian liturgy. Primate: Archbishop Avak Asadourian.
• The Armenian Catholic Church with its own archbishop in Baghdad with Armenian liturgy.

There are also several ethnic communities in Iraq, including Latin Catholics and various Protestant groups.

Number

In Iraq - the heartland of the former Mesopotamia - presented Christians since the first century, an increasing share of the population fell below half of the 7th century after the advance of Islam. Towards the end of the Ottoman Empire, the proportion of Christians was around 25 percent, after which it rose again temporarily. Many Iraqi Christians fled for economic and political reasons. In the 1980s, Christians of various denominations still made from about 15%. Meanwhile, the percentage of Christians in Iraq is two to three percent of the total population (about 29-31 million ) specified. The number of Christians would therefore still be 600000-930000. Approximately 1.5 million took refuge in total in the 10 years to Syria and Jordan.

In 2009, meanwhile, the number of Iraqi Catholic Christians is even numbered to just under 294,000, which is in turn 80 percent of the Christian community of Iraq. Thus, the number of Christians in Iraq would be less than the first time, the 1- percent mark. Many Iraqi Christians therefore make to the future existence of their communities worry as the exodus continues to stop.

Settlement areas

After the Mongol invasions in the 12th century, the Christians of Iraq today withdrew to the north, the Hakkari Mountains, home of the semi-autonomous Assyrian tribes and the plains of Mosul and Urmia (Iran). In the wake of the First World War, the mountains and the area around Urmia Christians was largely depopulated. The survivors took refuge in some cases abroad (Syria, USSR, USA, etc. ). In the second half of the 20th century, the Christians of Iraq increasingly attracted to the seemingly secured cities, even in the capital Baghdad, which became an important Christian center in which settled the church tours. In the wake of the recent Iraq War, is next flight or emigration to foreign countries, a renewed retreat in the northern part of the country to watch. There are the Christians in the Nineveh level, the majority dar.

Present situation

Under the regime of Saddam Hussein, the religious freedom of Christians did not have a bad stand His government also belonged to Christian ministers such as the Chaldean Tariq Aziz, the government promoted since 1972 the care of the Assyrian language. Other derived from Christian families politicians like Michel Aflaq or Elias Farah were highly honored as Baath ideologues.

Make The increasing since 2005 fighting between Shiites and Sunnis, and Islamist terrorism in Iraq after release Chaldean Catholic bishops, the situation with the Christians more and more threatening. Today there are millions of Christians of earlier only 600,000 in Iraq. The others fled to neighboring Syria and Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, Europe or the United States.

Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk 2006 report stated only in the Kurdish region, the situation is still bearable. "There are cities where the number of Christians doubled within three years. " The Northern Iraq is no longer regarded as internal flight alternative for Christians from Iraq since May 2007 by the German Ministry of the Interior.

Other observers, such as the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP ), however, draw an even more negative picture of the situation of Iraqi Christians and anticipate the end of the almost 2000 - year history of the Christians in the area of ​​present-day Iraq.

Chronology of the most serious attacks against Christians since 2003

Exodus

The UN refugee agency UNHCR reported in March 2007 that Iraq's Christians their lives are no longer safe: Religiously motivated acts of violence in the country continues to grow. Thus, each month Christians trying to leave the country to escape the many persecutions. After Roland Schönbauer ( UNHCR Austria ) violence against Christians and their churches have grown explosively since the beginning in Iraq, what a veritable exodus of Oriental Christians have resulted. According to Le Monde, March 24, 2008, now have to leave the country, over half of the formerly 700,000 Iraqi Christians far more. Furthermore, the authors of the cited article Le Monde fear that persists in so far as the exodus or the reasons for the exodus continue, existing since the 1st century Christian communities of Iraq, one of the oldest Christian communities in general, may soon be gone forever.

Quota uptake

In Germany is discussed since the beginning of 2008, reinforced by a contingent admission of refugees from Iraq who belong to a religious minority. Linked here is the recording of the Vietnamese " boat people " in the 70s. In particular, the Human Rights Commissioner of the CDU / CSU Parliamentary Group Steinbach as well as Federal Interior Minister Wolfgang Schäuble have a favorable opinion in advance of the spring conference of interior ministers, as well as the Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (PM 139/ 08 of 11 April 2008).

In November 2008, Germany agreed with the EU and adopted the 2500 Iraqi Christians.