Iraq’s Beleaguered Religious Minority Communities

Many of the religious communities that call Iraq home have suffered from conflict and displacement in recent decades. The civil war in Iraq in the 2000s led large numbers of Christians and other small religious groups to flee the country. Between 2014 and 2019, many religious communities in the north suffered horrifying atrocities under ISIS—including what the United States in 2016 formally declared as a genocide against Yazidis, Christians, and Shi’a Muslims.

Today we are joined by USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza and Jeremy Barker, Senior Program Officer and Director of the Middle East Action Team for the Religious Freedom Institute. Our discussion focuses on the current state of religious freedom in Iraq; in particular, for Iraq’s beleaguered religious minority communities.