12/14/2018 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – According to a publication by the Barnabas Fund, an estimated one Christian family a month is fleeing Iraq’s southern city of Basra. It is estimated that only 300 Christians remain in Basra, a 90% drop in the population of Christians there.
Basra has experienced multiple protests this past year as the city suffers from a significant lack of public services and growing unemployment. This situation has generally caused many residents to leave the city. For local Christians, the problem is even bigger. Southern Iraq is quite tribal and heavily Islamic. When violence erupts, Christians are left in an especially vulnerable situation.
Most of Iraq’s Christians live in the Nineveh Plains, but many have family ties to places elsewhere in Iraq. The Nineveh Plains area had been considered the last place of refuge for Iraq’s Christians. However, the invasion of ISIS in 2014 changed that perspective. Even a year after the declared military defeat of ISIS, security remains a significant concern for Iraq’s Christians.
For interviews with Claire Evans, ICC’s Regional Manager, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
