About Iraq:

Iraq was the site of flourishing ancient civilizations like the Sumerian, Babylonian, and Parthian cultures. On October 3, 1932, Iraq gained independence from the League of Nations mandate under British administration. In 1979, Saddam Hussein assumed both offices as President of Iraq and Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). The Iran-Iraq war (1980-88) devastated the economy of Iraq.

Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 19990, but a US ?led coalition acting under United Nation (UN) resolutions expelled Iraq from Kuwait in February 1991. After the war, the UN Security Council required the regime to surrender its weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and submit to UN inspections.

A US ?led coalition removed the Ba?ath regime, which was set up by Saddam Hussein, in March and April 2003, bringing an end to more than 12 years of Iraqi defiance of UN Security Council resolutions. The coalition, international agencies, and nongovernmental organizations quickly established aid systems, preventing any general humanitarian crisis.

Religious Atmosphere:

• Muslim terrorists launched simultaneous bombing campaigns against churches belonging to the indigenous Christian minority community, and bombed or otherwise closed down Christian-owned businesses.  The escalation of religious terror has had a particularly devastating effect on Iraq?s non-Muslim minorities, including the ChaldoAssyrians, Mandaeans, and Yezidis.  This has caused a push from some leaders of the ChaldoAssyrian community to establish a separate governorate in the Nineveh Province.  In addition, kidnapping in Iraq has disproportionately targeted Iraqi Christians.

• According to various reports, half of an estimated 1.2 million Iraqi Christians have been forced to leave their homes due to the violence from extremist groups, crimial gangs, and others.

Extremist Groups:

• Various fundamentalists Muslim groups. 

Official Government Policies:

• According to international religious report of the state department, the Constitution of Iraq provides for freedom of religion but other legal provisions are subject to interpretations that limit religious freedom. Interestingly article 2 of the Constitution recognizes Islam as the country's official religion and stipulates that Islam be considered a source of legislation. At the same time, the article states that no law can be enacted that contradicts the principles of democracy or basic freedoms.

• In principle, the governmnet of Iraq has a policy of protecting rights of all religious groups but in practice, the violence and instability in the country has prevented the enjoyment of such rights by many citizens.

Year 2009 Update:

• July 13, 2009: Seven churches were bombed in wave of bombings that lasted for three days. Four people were killed and thirty wounded following the bombings.
• May 11, 2009: The body of 5-years old Christian was found. Tony Adwar Shawaeel was kidnapped on March 5, 2009 by unknown group who demanded a rasom of $50,000.

According to the International Religious Freedom Report, the government took some positive steps to religious freedom during 2008. However, the ongoing insurgency sustained hostile environment for religious freedom.