Beyond ISIS: History and Future of Religious Minorities in Iraq
Beyond ISIS: History and Future of Religious Minorities in Iraq
Contributor(s): Bayar Mustafa Sevdeen (Editor), Thomas Schmidinger (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Christian Theology and Religion, Politics, History, Social Sciences, Geography, Regional studies, Sociology, Recent History (1900 till today), Theology and Religion, Islam studies, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Nationalism Studies, Migration Studies, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Sociology of Religion, History of Religion, Politics and Identity, Identity of Collectives, Peace and Conflict Studies
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Iraq; Kurdistan; migration; minorities; Jews; Christians; Shabak; Yarsan; Mandeans; Armenians; Haqqa; Kakai;
Summary/Abstract: This book shares papers from a conference taking a deeper look at the victims of ISIS and beyond that all religious minorities of Iraq. This is the first book that considers all the religious minorities that existed in modern Iraq, including both historic communities and new groups that recently came with labour migration, especially to the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan. The book resulted from a conference in 2018 organized exactly at the site of the Simele Massacre in 1933. The campus of the American University of Kurdistan is located on the site of the first big massacre against a religious minority in Iraq. The conference entitled ‘Beyond ISIS: Minorities and Religious Diversity in Iraq and the Future of Êzîdî, Christians, Shabak, Yarsan, Mandeans and other Religious Minorities in the Middle East’ brought together Iraqi and international scholars, activists, and religious and community representatives. This book contains papers presented at the conference that included contributions on Iraq’s religious diversity and the historical and contemporary consequences of genocide and persecution on the religious minorities of Iraq.
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-1-912997-15-2
- Page Count: 245
- Publication Year: 2019
- Language: English
Minorities in Iraq: National Legal Framework, Political Participation, and the Future of Citizenship Given the Current Changes
Minorities in Iraq: National Legal Framework, Political Participation, and the Future of Citizenship Given the Current Changes
(Minorities in Iraq: National Legal Framework, Political Participation, and the Future of Citizenship Given the Current Changes)
- Author(s):Saad Salloum
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Civil Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Security and defense, Demography and human biology, Ethnic Minorities Studies
- Page Range:11-32
- No. of Pages:22
- Keywords:Iraq; minorities; national legal framework; political participation; citizenship; security;
- Summary/Abstract:Minorities have been one of the main targets of the violence that has swept through Iraq after the American occupation in 2003. This violence reached a pivotal turning point when the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (ISIS) invaded Nineveh governorate, including Mosul, the second largest city in Iraq, and extended their control over other areas in the Anbar and Saladin governorates.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Jews of Iraq
The Jews of Iraq
(The Jews of Iraq)
- Author(s):Birgit Ammann
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Geography, Regional studies, Political history, Recent History (1900 till today), Demography and human biology, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), History of Communism, Ethnic Minorities Studies
- Page Range:33-56
- No. of Pages:24
- Keywords:Iraq; Jews; 20th century; Kurdistan; minorities;
- Summary/Abstract:Describing the Jewish communities in the multi-religious history of Iraq can only take place from a historical perspective, simply because they no longer exist. Apart from a few individuals, there is no future perspective at this point in time.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Lost Readers of the Scripture: Some notes on the Karaite community of Hīt
The Lost Readers of the Scripture: Some notes on the Karaite community of Hīt
(The Lost Readers of the Scripture: Some notes on the Karaite community of Hīt)
- Author(s):Thomas Schmidinger
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Jewish studies, Geography, Regional studies, Recent History (1900 till today), History of Judaism, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949), Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Ethnic Minorities Studies, History of Religion
- Page Range:57-70
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Iraq; Karaites; Hit; religious community; minorities; 20th century;
- Summary/Abstract:The Karaites are one of the religious communities erased from the memory of Iraq. Today hardly anybody in Iraq remembers this centuries-old religious community rooted in the Abrahamic faith of Islam, Christianity and mainstream Judaism. Multiple marginalisations resulted in nobody ever telling the story of the last Karaites in Iraq. The isolated and rural community in the town of Hīt in Anbar did not have any intellectuals to document their history. Later, Karaite Jews became a minority among the rabbinic Jews in Israel and the Iraqi Karaites were even a tiny minority within the minority of the Karaites of Israel. Without anyone interested in their history, even the second generation in Israel did not think that the stories of their parents and grandparents would be worth recording and telling.
- Price: 4.50 €
John the Baptist’s Water: Extinction of a Millennial Culture
John the Baptist’s Water: Extinction of a Millennial Culture
(John the Baptist’s Water: Extinction of a Millennial Culture)
- Author(s):Saad Salloum
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Cultural history, Geography, Regional studies, Political history, Recent History (1900 till today), History of Religion, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:71-98
- No. of Pages:28
- Keywords:Iraq; Mandaeism; ethno-religious community; minority; nation-state building;
- Summary/Abstract:At the end of filming a documentary, I sat with the Reesh Umma Sattar Jabbar Al Hilou, head of the Mandaean sect, in his religious headquarter in Qadisiya locality on the banks of the Tigris River in Baghdad. The man stood like an old angel descending from the sky with his white beard and his clothes, made up of pure white cloth, which the Mandaeans call Al Resta. He was awaiting the baptism of two new clerics.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Gurdwara of Baghdad and the Forgotten History of Sikhs in Iraq
The Gurdwara of Baghdad and the Forgotten History of Sikhs in Iraq
(The Gurdwara of Baghdad and the Forgotten History of Sikhs in Iraq)
- Author(s):Wedech Areshpreet
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Middle Ages, Recent History (1900 till today), Security and defense, Ethnic Minorities Studies, History of Religion, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:99-112
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Iraq; Sikhism; Sikhi; Gurdwara of Baghdad; ISIS;
- Summary/Abstract:Most Iraqis and scholars on Iraq do not know that Baghdad has significant importance for the Sikh religion. Until 2003, Baghdad had a gurdwara (Sikh place of worship); some evidence exists of a historic Sikh community in Iraq. This article explores both the history of the Gurdwara of Baghdad and the Sikhs who lived in Iraq, and also the activities of Sikh humanitarian organizations in contemporary Iraq.
- Price: 4.50 €
Christians in Iraq
Christians in Iraq
(Christians in Iraq)
- Author(s):Thomas Schmidinger
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Christian Theology and Religion, Geography, Regional studies, Middle Ages, Modern Age, Recent History (1900 till today), Other Christian Denominations, Ethnic Minorities Studies, History of Religion, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:113-124
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:Iraq; Christians; minorities; Oriental Orthodoxy; Eastern Catholics; Roman Catholic Christians; Anglicans; other denominations; ISIS;
- Summary/Abstract:Unlike Syria and Palestine, Iraq was never a predominantly Christian land. Nevertheless, Iraq has a long history of Christian presence and one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. Christians, like Muslims and Jews, always played an important role in Iraqi society and even politics. Although the number of Christians declined in recent years, the diversity of Christian denominations in Iraq is still remarkable.
- Price: 4.50 €
Fleeing ISIS: Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Niniveh Plains after ISIS
Fleeing ISIS: Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Niniveh Plains after ISIS
(Fleeing ISIS: Aramaic-speaking Christians in the Niniveh Plains after ISIS)
- Author(s):Archimandrite Emanuel Youkhana
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Christian Theology and Religion, Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Security and defense, Demography and human biology, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today), Migration Studies
- Page Range:125-150
- No. of Pages:26
- Keywords:Iraq; Nineveh plains; ISIS; migration; Aramaic-speaking Christians;
- Summary/Abstract:Excluding the Armenians and some small groups of converts , the Iraqi Christians are the indigenous people of Iraq. Their roots go back thousands of years before Christianity in the lands of Mesopotamia. In other words, I believe the Iraqi Christians are the true native people of Iraq, being descendants of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians. The Aramaic-speaking Christians (Assyrians, Chaldeans, Chaldo-Assyrians) are not a new Christian community ‘evangelised’ by western missionaries, as is the case in many African and East Asian Christian communities.
- Price: 4.50 €
Armenians of Iraq
Armenians of Iraq
(Armenians of Iraq)
- Author(s):Seda D. Ohanian
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Christian Theology and Religion, Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Security and defense, Other Christian Denominations, Migration Studies, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:151-164
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Iraq; Armenians; minorities; security; migration;
- Summary/Abstract:Armenians have been living in Mesopotamia – modern Iraq – from times immemorial. According to Herodotus, the Hellenic father of history, Armenians used to travel, long before the Christian era, from Armenia to Nineveh and Babylon over the Euphrates and Tigris rivers, importing, by means of round rafts, Armenian wines, dried fruits, fine horses, wheat, nuts and many other products. Historical accounts indicate that Tigranes the Great (king of Armenia during the Artaxiad dynasty from 190 BC to AD 12) defeated enemy armies of several countries, who endangered Armenia’s security. Amongst these countries, he subdued Adiabene (Mosul) in 83 BC, which allowed Armenians to travel from the Armenian highlands to Mesopotamia, reaching as far as Basra and further down the Persian Gulf to the Far East.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Yazidis: Religion, Society and Resentments
The Yazidis: Religion, Society and Resentments
(The Yazidis: Religion, Society and Resentments)
- Author(s):Thomas Schmidinger
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Customs / Folklore, Geography, Regional studies, Theology and Religion, Security and defense, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:165-174
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Iraq; religious minorities; The Yazidis; religion; society and resentments; Yazidi festive traditions; ISIS;
- Summary/Abstract:No religious minorities in Iraq was more affected by the violence of the so-called ‘Islamic State’ (ISIS) than the Yazidis (sometimes spelled Yezidis or Êzîdî in Kurmancî) who suffered genocidal attacks by the jihadis in August 2014. However, the jihadist groups in August 2007 and in August 2014 were not the first to attack the Yazidis. For centuries they suffered under resentments and perennial violence by Muslims who accused them of ‘devil worshipping’- a well-cultivated misunderstanding of their ancient religion.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Yazidi Quest for Protection in Sinjar in the Post-ISIS Iraq
The Yazidi Quest for Protection in Sinjar in the Post-ISIS Iraq
(The Yazidi Quest for Protection in Sinjar in the Post-ISIS Iraq)
- Author(s):Arzu Yılmaz, Bayar Mustafa Sevdeen
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Security and defense, Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today), Ethnic Minorities Studies, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:175-188
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Iraq; ISIS; Yazidi; Sinjar; minorities; identity;
- Summary/Abstract:This paper considers the future of Sinjar (Kurdish: Shingal) in the current context where local, regional, and international actors shape the political setting in Iraq after the so-called Islamic State (ISIS). It traces primarily the political and military dominance of the two prominent Kurdish political parties, namely the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) and the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Sinjar; and, in turn, it explores the newly emerging parameters of the Yazidis’ self-understanding which reshapes their political identity and even their perceptions of ethnic belonging vis-a-vis the efforts for centralisation and decentralisation dictated from above. It argues that regardless of whether or not the geopolitical equilibrium in post-ISIS era would favour the Yazidi aspirations for self-rule in Sinjar, the vibrant Yazidi activism will not vanish soon and will add new dimensions to the Kurdish and Iraqi political landscape.
- Price: 4.50 €
Kakai Internal Displacement in Kirkuk and the Fear of Violence from the So-called Islamic State in Iraq (ISIS)
Kakai Internal Displacement in Kirkuk and the Fear of Violence from the So-called Islamic State in Iraq (ISIS)
(Kakai Internal Displacement in Kirkuk and the Fear of Violence from the So-called Islamic State in Iraq (ISIS))
- Author(s):Seyedehbehnaz Hosseini
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Military history, Security and defense, Studies in violence and power, Present Times (2010 - today), Ethnic Minorities Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:189-196
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:Iraq; ISIS; Kirkuk; Kakai; forced migration; minorities;
- Summary/Abstract:The Kakai, also called Yārsan or Ahl-e Haqq, follow a religion that emerged thousands of years ago. Their monotheist religion has four principles: Pāki, Rīsti, Nīsti, and Radā. Kakai speak a distinct language called ‘Macho’, a Gūrani Kurdish dialect, and are famous for agriculture and shepherding. They show a strong passion for playing music, because music is an essential part of their religion and rituals. Originally, Kakai believe in Doon-a-Doon (life after death), where a soul passes 1,000 Doon within 50,000 years, and continuously moves from one body to another until it reaches perfection. They also believe that God manifested himself in different souls, such as Ali (the first Shia Imam) and Shah Khoshin, before embodying himself in the form of Sultan Sahak, the founder of the Kakai religion. Kakai also believe that after 1001 transmigrations, the soul comes back to an everlasting home, and everything becomes part of God . In every period, someone had a sense of God, and each period was called the ‘period of Yār’.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Shabak: Between secular nationalisms and sectarian violence
The Shabak: Between secular nationalisms and sectarian violence
(The Shabak: Between secular nationalisms and sectarian violence)
- Author(s):Michiel Leezenberg
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Theology and Religion, Studies in violence and power, Nationalism Studies, Present Times (2010 - today), Ethnic Minorities Studies, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:197-206
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Iraq; Shabak; minorities; secular nationalism; sectarian violence; ISIS;
- Summary/Abstract:The Shabak are one of the less well-known ethnic groups of northern Iraq. The complexities of their recent history suggest that religious and ethnic minorities are not simply or merely victims, but also actors in their own right. Like neighbouring groups, they have been badly affected not only by the 2014 offensive of the so-called Islamic State (ISIS), but also by the earlier politics of the region. At present, their community is deeply divided, in a split exploited and exacerbated by other regional actors.
- Price: 4.50 €
The Haqqa Movement: from Heterodox Sufism, to Socio-Political Struggle and Back
The Haqqa Movement: from Heterodox Sufism, to Socio-Political Struggle and Back
(The Haqqa Movement: from Heterodox Sufism, to Socio-Political Struggle and Back)
- Author(s):Lana Askari
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Recent History (1900 till today), Islam studies, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Politics and Identity, Peace and Conflict Studies
- Page Range:207-220
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:Iraq; Haqqa Movement; Heterodox Sufism; socio-political struggle; Kalkasmaq; Shadala;
- Summary/Abstract:One day I told my mother, I am going to join the Mama Razayeti [Haqqa movement under Sheikh Mama Raza]. She told me, your father is going to kill you. I said no, even if he would kill me I will go and convert anyway. I left and ran to the takiye (dervish lodge) and told them I wanted to convert. They quickly heated up some water and shaved my head, leaving only a little bit of hair on the top. This [taking off his cap and pointing to the small patch of long hair] has not been cut for over 50 years, it is still the same do you hear! During the time of the prophet, people had their hair like this. Our greeting ‘ya karim, ya raza’, this is also from the time of the prophet. When I went back home I told my father I had joined Mama Raza and received a beating. However, after four nights, four brothers of the order came to our house and talked to my father. After a long discussion, they also converted my father. I was the first in my family in Sergalu village to convert. I came to the Haqqa with a clean conscious and therefore I am still part of it and still live in the khanaqa [rest- and guesthouse].
- Price: 4.50 €
Bahaism and the Bahai Community in Iraq: A Fateful Past and Fragile Present
Bahaism and the Bahai Community in Iraq: A Fateful Past and Fragile Present
(Bahaism and the Bahai Community in Iraq: A Fateful Past and Fragile Present)
- Author(s):Maria Six-Hohenbalken
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies, Recent History (1900 till today), 19th Century, Ethnic Minorities Studies, History of Religion, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:221-228
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:Iraq; religious minorities; Bahaism; Bahai community;
- Summary/Abstract:The Bahai community is one of the smallest religious communities in Iraq. As a transnational religion, Bahaism has its roots in Iran and neighbouring countries in the Middle East but today has seven million followers around the world with approximately 60 per cent living in Asia, 20 per cent in Africa, and 18 per cent in the Americas.
- Price: 4.50 €
Kurdish Zoroastrians: An Emerging Minority in Iraq
Kurdish Zoroastrians: An Emerging Minority in Iraq
(Kurdish Zoroastrians: An Emerging Minority in Iraq)
- Author(s):Matthew Travis Barber
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Theology and Religion, Nationalism Studies, Ethnic Minorities Studies, Sociology of Religion, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:229-235
- No. of Pages:7
- Keywords:Iraq; minorities; Zoroastrianism; human rights; minority rights;
- Summary/Abstract:A significant movement of apostasy from Islam is underway in the Middle East, one that is simultaneously birthing a new religious minority. Kurdistan is experiencing a gradually intensifying revival of Zoroastrianism as increasing numbers of Kurds are converting to the tradition or affiliating with it at varying levels.
- Price: 4.50 €
Migrant Religions in Iraq: Hindus and Buddhists
Migrant Religions in Iraq: Hindus and Buddhists
(Migrant Religions in Iraq: Hindus and Buddhists)
- Author(s):Ghazwan Yousif Baho
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies, Recent History (1900 till today), Theology and Religion, Migration Studies, Ethnic Minorities Studies, History of Religion
- Page Range:237-245
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:Iraq; Hindus; Buddhists; migrations; Indians in Iraq; minorities;
- Summary/Abstract:Religions are the primary source of human thought that explore ways to achieve integrity for human society. They are dominated by principles of peaceful coexistence amongst all people, regardless of sect, religion or nationality. They enable humans to live peacefully with God and with others. This cannot be achieved except through love, which cannot be achieved without knowing people, which, again, cannot be achieved without dialogue.
- Price: 4.50 €