Iraq

Iraq has a very ancient tradition of Syriac Christianity. The four major historical traditions are the Chaldean Catholic Church (the largest today), the Assyrian Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, and the Syrian Catholic Church. Christianity has been declining in recent decades, from 4.0% of the population in 1970 down to only 0.9% in 2015. Political instability and violence, including the 2003 overthrow of Saddam Hussein’s government and the 2014 occupation of Mosul by ISIS have caused many Christians to flee to the autonomous region of Kurdistan or to emigrate overseas. A significant political issue facing Christians today is the desire to create an autonomously governed homeland in Christianity-majority region of the Plain of Nineveh.