The Republic of Iraq is an ethnically and religiously diverse nation. Formed after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, Iraq is the product of British colonial design, uniting the three Ottoman provinces of Basra, Baghdad and Mosul. Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq has struggled with the difficulties of building a stable government, inclusive of its several ethnic, religious and linguistic groups.

According to the Minority Rights Group International World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples, Iraq is 96% Muslim. As a whole, religion in Iraq breaks down into a Muslim Shi’a majority and a large Sunni Minority – with smaller Christian and other religious minorities. In addition to Arabs and Kurds, about 10% of the population is made up of ethnic or religious minorities including Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Feyli Kurds, Sabian Mandeans, Shabak, Turkoman and Yezidis. Depending on the location in Iraq, the majority/minority ratio can change. These differences are further complicated by the customary tribal and family organization of society. This is broken down into the qabila (confederation), ashira (tribe), fakhdh (clan), beit (house) and hamula (extended family).

The 2003 invasion of Iraq created a regime change, but the resulting foreign occupation of Iraq has since unleashed a Sunni insurgency, and the stregthening of several Shi’a militant groups. There is also a strengthened Kurdish movement determined to secure its hold on the north of the country.

Foreign approaches to creating a new government in Iraq have unfortunately highlighted and reinforced ethnic, religious and tribal tensions in the territory. The Iraqi Governing Council, the first “governing” institution constructed by the United States (tasked with supervising Iraq’s transition to democracy), was deliberately assembled to “proportionally” reflect the ethnic and religious differences of the Iraqi population. This was the first step towards institutional entrenchment and division along lines of ethnicity and religion in Iraq.

Five years have passed since the ousting of the ruling Ba’ath regime and insecurity continues to plague civilian life in Iraq, although not at the appalling levels of 2006-2007. Iraqi civilians continue to be targeted for their identities. Violence between Sunni and Shi’a is widespread, as are attacks on non-Muslim minorities; Christian, Yezidi, and Sabian-Mandean and other religious communities are threatened by both Sunni and Shi’a militias.

According to 2007 UNHCR statistics, 4.7 million people have fled their homes in Iraq and 2 million of them are internally displaced. Today, Iraqi civilian deaths number into the hundreds of thousands with no end to the blood letting in sight.

*Map Credit: UN DPKO

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