World News

The persecution of Iraqi Christians continues

Last week, the American Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (American FRRME) published a new report highlighting the desperate circumstances facing Iraqi Christians.

 

The 2020/21 Impact Report focuses mostly on Christian Iraqis who fled their communities from ISIS in 2014. Those who choose to return to Iraq encounter a discouragingly harsh political and social environment. The Executive Director at American FRRME said, “Iraq remains plagued by conflict and sectarian violence as many Christians are seriously affected by intolerance and persecution in the Middle East.”

Over the last two decades, most Iraqi Christians have simply chosen not to return. Since 2003, 80% of the nation’s Christians, over a million people, have settled elsewhere. Those that remain make up 0.4% of the population.

While life may be challenging for those that return to Iraq, Iraqi Christian refugees that choose not to return face a plethora of their own challenges. American FRRME’s report shows that Iraqi Christians are often barred from working because of their refugee status, sending them into a financial crisis that threatens their survival. Refugee children also severely lack critical education opportunities.

Source: persecution.org

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