Abstract: Christians in Iraq are one of the oldest continuous Christian communities in the world. It has been experiencing physical extinction, most notably at the hands of the terrorist organization known as ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant). ISIL is also known interchangeably as, ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), IS (Islamic State), or DAESH (its Arabic acronym). This paper presents the view that while ISIL has been, until very recently, the most immediate existential threat to the physical survival of Christians in Iraq, that the long term greater threat to Christians in particular, and to other minorities in general, in Iraq comes from various other organizations, including those with strong ties to the Iraqi government and in some cases to governmental security forces.
This paper explains why the roots of the threat to Christians in Iraq are deeper than just ISIL. Consequently, if ISIL is indeed defeated militarily, as currently seems to be happening, the plight of Christians in Iraq will be far from over.
This paper has practical implications for policy making regarding the possibility of repatriating refugees and migrants from Western countries such as the United States to Iraq.
Keywords: ISIL (Islamic State of Iraq and Levant), DAESH.
Title: Existential Threats to Christians in Iraq
Author: Professor Shaul M. Gabbay
International Journal of Social Science and Humanities Research
ISSN 2348-3156 (Print), ISSN 2348-3164 (online)
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