Iraq: A Mass Exodus

"The most significant indicator that there is no disaster in Iraq is the fact that there is no exodus." -Bashar Al-Assad
If the world was waiting for a mass exodus before admitting that there is something wrong in Iraq, then it is finally here.  It was estimated that in 1987 there were 1.4 million Christians in Iraq.  After the invasion in 2003, that number dropped to a million.  In 2008 there were about 700,000 and it is estimated that now there are only about 600,000 Christians left in Iraq.  Why were there more Christians in Iraq under Saddam then there are now?  In general, Saddam supported religious minorities in order to have them act as a buffer between him and the larger Shia population.  Even though the country is now a democracy, the majority of the population do not want Christians to remain in Iraq.  Threats against Christians escalate day after day.  But we know that God is faithful and we thank Him for the remnant that remains behind in spite of the increasing danger.  When we pray for the Christians of Iraq this month, let's not forget that there are two groups who need our prayers.  The Christians who have remained in the country despite the danger and persecution, and those who have already had to flee their homeland and seek refuge else where.  God is God no matter where we are; in the darkness of persecution or in the struggle to rebuild our lives, He walks with us all the way. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Iraq


Basic Info: Iraq is located in the Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait. It is slightly more than twice the size of Idaho and it has a strategic location on the Shatt al Arab waterway and at the head of the Persian Gulf. The country is mostly desert. It has mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers. The northern mountainous regions along the Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq. The government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers. A once sizable population of Marsh Arabs, who inhabited these areas for thousands of years, have been displaced. Also, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area's wildlife populations. Some problems the country faces are inadequate supplies of potable water, the development of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers system are contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey, air and water pollution, soil degradation and erosion, and desertification. Arabs make up 75%-80% of the population while Kurds are 15%-20%, and the remaining 5% are Turks, Assyrians, and some others. Arabic is the official language for the whole country and Kurdish is the official language in Kurdish regions. The urban population makes up 66% of the total population, and the literacy rate for the country is 74.1%.

Government: Iraq was previously part of the Ottoman Empire. During World War I it was occupied by the British, and in 1920 it was declared to be under their administration by the League of Nations. In progressive stages, Iraq finally regained its independence in 1932. It was proclaimed a “republic” in 1958, but in reality the country was ruled by a succession of strongmen until 2003, the last being Saddam Husayn. Iraq and Iran went to war for 8 years (1980-88) over territory disputes which was costly and ended up being inconclusive. In 1990 Iraq invaded Kuwait but was expelled by the US-led UN coalition forces (Gulf War). After liberating Kuwait, the UN required Iraq to destroy all weapons of mass destruction and long-range missiles and to allow UN verification inspections. After the attacks on US soil in 2001 and 12 years of noncompliance of UNSC resolutions, in 2003 the US led invasion of Iraq displaced Saddam Husayn’s regime. US forces remained in Iraq under a UNSC mandate through 2009 but they transferred sovereignty to the Iraqi Interim Government in 2004. They stayed to help provide security and to train and mentor Iraqi security forces. In 2005, Iraqis approved a constitution in a national referendum and elected a 275-member Council of Representatives, making the country a parliamentary democracy. The COR approved most cabinet ministers in 2006, marking the transition to Iraq's first constitutional government in nearly a half century. In January 2009, Iraq held elections for provincial councils in all governorates except for the three governorates comprising the Kurdistan Regional Government and Kirkuk Governorate. Iraq held a national legislative election in March 2010 - choosing 325 legislators in an expanded COR - and, after nine months of deadlock the COR approved the new government in December 2010. Nearly nine years after the start of the Second Gulf War in Iraq, US military operations there ended in mid-December 2011. The country retains a mixture of civil and Islamic law in their legal system.

Economy: Iraq’s mostly state run economy is dependent on its oil wealth, which provides more than 90% of government revenue and 80% of foreign exchange earnings. Since mid-2009, oil export earnings have returned to levels seen before Operation Iraqi Freedom. As global oil prices remained high for much of 2011, government revenues increased also. However, Iraqi leaders remain hard pressed to translate macroeconomic gains into an improved standard of living for the Iraqi populace. In 2008, 25% of the population was below the poverty line. Unemployment remains a problem throughout the country at 15%. Iraq's contracts with major oil companies have the potential to further expand oil revenues, but Iraq will need to make significant upgrades to its oil processing, pipeline, and export infrastructure. Iraq is making slow progress enacting laws and developing the institutions needed to implement economic policy, and political reforms are still needed to assuage investors' concerns regarding the uncertain business climate. The government is eager to attract additional foreign direct investment, but it faces a number of obstacles including a tenuous political system and concerns about security and societal stability. Rampant corruption, outdated infrastructure, insufficient essential services, and antiquated commercial laws stifle investment and continue to constrain growth of private, non-oil sectors. Also, political and economic tensions between Baghdad and local governments have led some provincial councils to use their budgets to independently promote and facilitate investment at the local level. Encouraging private enterprise through deregulation would make it easier for both Iraqi citizens and foreign investors to start new businesses. The number of private radio and TV stations has increased rapidly since 2003. Private broadcast media are mostly linked to political, ethnic, or religious groups; satellite TV is available to an estimated 70% of viewers and many of the broadcasters are based abroad. In 2009 about 24 million people had cell phones.

Religion: Muslim (official) 97% (Shia 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%

(note: while there has been voluntary relocation of many Christian families to northern Iraq, recent reporting indicates that the overall Christian population may have dropped by as much as 50 percent since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime in 2003, with many fleeing to Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon) Despite being a present day minority in Iraq, the Christian population there pre-dates the Arabs by centuries. However, Christians suffer from the anti-Western attitude in the country and are seen as collaborators with Westerners. As Western influence in the country declines with the pulling out of many of their forces, extremists take their chance to terrorize Christians and force them out of the country. The recent constitution says that no law can be passed that contravenes Islam, so guarantees of religious freedom are not particularly trustworthy. Registration of new churches is difficult. Persecution has become particularly strong in recent years. Bomb attacks on churches in December 2009 caused as many as half of Mosul’s Christian population to flee. A terrorist attack on the Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad at the end of October 2010 killed 58 Christians and injured at least 60. Suspected Islamist militants detonated 11 bombs in Christian suburbs across Baghdad in November, targeting shops and homes. At least five Christians were killed and 33 injured. Hundreds of thousands of Christians have fled Baghdad and other southern portions of the country, including the Biblical area known as Babylon that is dominated by Shi’a Muslims. About 334,000 Christians remain in Iraq, less than half of their number in 1991. The violence has caused about 2 million Iraqi people, both Muslim and Christian, to leave the country, and many more are displaced inside Iraq (2.4 million), particularly in Kurdistan. The majority of refugees have gone to Syria and Jordan, and a lesser number to Egypt, Lebanon, Iran, and Turkey. Turkey has expressed concern over the autonomous status of Kurds in Iraq.

Information compiled from CIAWorldFactBook “Iraq”; VOMC “Iraq”; VOM “Iraq”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Christian Persecution in Iraq (Dec 2010)



Iraq Christians (Sept 2010)



Iraq-Refugees: Iraqi Christians (Nov 2010)



Inside Story: Forcing Christians out of Iraq? (Nov 2010) *