\n 2026-05-19T20:51:44+00:00<\/p>\n
font<\/p>\n
Enable Reading Mode<\/p>\n
\n A-
\n A
\n A+\n <\/p>\n
Shafaq News- Baghdad<\/p>\n
Representatives of
\nIraq\u2019s minority communities and civil society organizations warned on Tuesday
\nthat hate speech, migration, and weak legal protections continue to threaten
\ncoexistence and the country\u2019s religious and ethnic diversity.<\/p>\n
On the occasion of
\nthe International Day of
\nLiving Together in Peace, Ram Asaad Al-Othmani, spokesperson for Iraq\u2019s Mandaean
\ncommunity, told Shafaq News that conditions for minorities are better than during
\nthe 2014\u20132017 war against ISIS, citing
\nrelative progress in political representation and reconstruction efforts in
\nareas such as Nineveh Plains and Sinjar. However, Al-Othmani pointed out that
\nthe improvements \u201chave not sufficiently translated into daily life\u201d due to the
\nabsence of sustainable security protection, weak law enforcement, rising
\nmigration rates, and a persistent marginalization.<\/p>\n
Read more: Yazidis struggle to return home a decade after ISIS atrocities: report<\/a><\/p>\n Coexistence in Iraq According to Al-Othmani, migration Saad Salloum, the head He pointed to the Yazidi writer and Meanwhile, Shabak Ibrahim Zarari, a follower of the Zoroastrian faith, Read more: Iraq\u2019s 2025 Elections: Minority quota under spotlight<\/a><\/p>\n Minorities Under Pressure<\/p>\n Iraq is home to a wide range of religious and
\noperates on two levels: one based on long-standing social acceptance in mixed
\ncities such as Baghdad, Basra, Dhi Qar, and Kirkuk, and another more fragile
\nmodel in disputed areas and regions witnessing the return of displaced people,
\nwhere stability depends largely on temporary security arrangements, he said.<\/p>\n
\nposes a \u201cdirect threat\u201d to Iraq\u2019s pluralism, arguing that the loss of communities such as Christians, Mandaeans, Yazidis, Kakais<\/a>, and
\nShabak would mean losing part of the country\u2019s historical identity.<\/p>\n
\nof the Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development, told Shafaq News
\nthat hate speech had transformed social fabric from a source of civilizational
\nrichness into a driver of tension and conflict.<\/p>\n
\n2014 genocide
\nagainst the Yazidis and the displacement of Christians from historic cities as
\nexamples of the consequences of extremist rhetoric, warning that continued
\nincitement undermines reconciliation efforts and threatens the foundations of
\nequal citizenship.<\/p>\n
\nactivist Mirza Dinani also argued that \u201cIraq\u2019s democratic experience is
\nincomplete and vulnerable to interference by influential political forces,\u201d adding
\nthat the misuse of religion in political competition and \u201cthe use of hate
\nspeech for electoral purposes\u201d have contributed to the rise of extremist
\nmovements threatening social peace.<\/p>\n
\nrepresentative Mohsen Ali Al-Shabaki described coexistence in the Nineveh
\nPlains as a \u201cliving example\u201d reflected in daily life, markets, and social
\noccasions, indicating that despite external attacks, the region has not
\nwitnessed internal fighting among its communities.<\/p>\n
\nargued that protecting diversity requires equal laws for all citizens,
\ninclusive education, and balanced political representation, noting that \u201ca just
\nstate is one that prevents differences from becoming tools of injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nethnic minorities whose populations have sharply declined over the past two
\ndecades due to war, displacement, sectarian violence, and migration. The
\nMandaean community, one of the world\u2019s oldest Gnostic faiths, has fallen from
\nan estimated 70,000 members before 2003 to only a few thousand today, mainly
\nconcentrated in Basra, Dhi Qar, and Maysan, with diaspora communities spread
\nacross Europe, Australia, and the United States.<\/p>\n