Iraq

Iraq Factbook

Iraq has gained world notoriety in recent years for all of the wrong reasons. Its people have suffered greatly during this time. Christians have more freedoms than in some neighboring Islamic countries, but they are few in number.

Iraq is located in the heart of the Middle East. It borders on Turkey, Iran, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Syria, and it doesn't have particularly good relationships with any of them. The land is mostly desert plain with mountains in the north and east.

The population of Iraq is slightly under 23 million. Approximately three-quarters are Arab. Another 20% are Kurdish. The Kurdish people have suffered a significant amount of persecution at the hands of the Iraqi government.

The economy is based almost entirely on oil and related products. However, an almost continuous run of war and international sanctions over the last 20 years has devastated the economy. Iraq is allowed to sell oil to buy food and other necessities for its people, but it's not clear that the money is used for this purpose.

At one time, Iraq was part of the Ottoman empire. It gained independence in 1932 as a monarchy. The monarchy was overthrown in 1958 only to be replaced by a series of authoritarian military leaders. Saddam Husayn, the current leader, came to power in 1979. The next year Iraq found itself at war with neighboring Iran. That war ended in 1988 but was followed by the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait and subsequent war in 1990-91. Husayn continues to threaten others in the region.

Islam is the dominant religion, but Iraq is not officially an Islamic state. Husayn appears to view other religious groups as beneficial and grants some freedoms. Christians do suffer persecution, but it doesn't appear to be to the extent as in neighboring Iran.

Over 95% of the people are Muslim. Most Christians are either Roman Catholic (over 2%) or Orthodox (nearly 1%). Evangelicals are very few in number - perhaps only a few thousand meeting in house churches. The 1990's brought more interest in Christianity and more opportunities to share the gospel, even on television.

Christian literature is in demand, but the supply is far too small. Pray for those who seek to import Bibles and good literature for distribution in Iraq. Pray for Christian radio broadcasts. Many Iraqis are listening.

Pray for believers as they live under severe economic conditions. Pray for the Kurdish people who suffer greatly. Pray for more opportunities for Christian aid workers to share their faith.

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