Iraq: a religious profile

by Ruth Marx

Iraq: a religious profile

by Ruth Marx

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The lands that make up modern day Iraq are known as the ‘cradle of civilisation’. Long before Baghdad was the capital city of the great Islamic Empire of the Golden Age, it had significance for world religions. Abraham, Ezekiel, Rebecca and Daniel all have connections to the country and in Ottoman-controlled Baghdad the Jewish population was the second largest group, making up 40 per cent of inhabitants – at the time of writing, there are fewer than five Jewish individuals. The population of Iraq today is largely Muslim, with disputed statistics putting the proportions of Shia and Sunni Muslims at around 55per cent Shia and 40 per cent Sunni, and many other religious minorities hoping for peaceful co-existence in the aftermath of the violence of recent years. This list aims to help students explore the different religious groups found in Iraq and the relationships between them. It also applies historical and political disciplines to the topic and looks at political developments in this vital part of the religious studies world map. 

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