The religious minorities of Iraq suffered immense violence at the hands of ISIS and they are now trying to rebuild their lives. In their own words, this book tells their stories of resilience against oppression, creativity in the darkest moments, and hope amidst death. Covering the experiences of the Christians, Kakais, Yezidis, Sunni Muslims and Shabaks, among others, this is an in-depth investigation that reveals how the different communities narrate their beliefs and deal with life and recovery in the aftermath of ISIS. Existing literature on the religious minorities in Iraq treats them in isolation as if they do not interact. This is the first book to show that a strong network between them operates in the absence of a strong civil society and based on a common desire to coexist, reconstruct their society and build peace. Over three years, the author visited religious and archaeological sites and interviewed more than one hundred people between representatives of the religious communities, academics, activists, politicians, policy makers and refugees. Among them are victims and persecutors, men, women and children, all who have been overwhelmed by the tragic events of the last few years. The author shows that all these groups are animated by the same desire for a new, more tolerant society and that their treatment of each other is nurtured by their shared experience of persecution and oppression.

This book shares papers from a conference taking a deeper look at the victims of ISIS and beyond that all religious minorities of Iraq. This is the first book that considers all the religious minorities that existed in modern Iraq, including both historic communities and new groups that recently came with labour migration, especially to the Autonomous Region of Kurdistan. The book resulted from a conference in 2018 organized exactly at the site of the Simele Massacre in 1933. The campus of the American University of Kurdistan is located on the site of the first big massacre against a religious minority in Iraq. The conference entitled ‘Beyond ISIS: Minorities and Religious Diversity in Iraq and the Future of Êzîdî, Christians, Shabak, Yarsan, Mandeans and other Religious Minorities in the Middle East’ brought together Iraqi and international scholars, activists, and religious and community representatives. This book contains papers presented at the conference that included contributions on Iraq’s religious diversity and the historical and contemporary consequences of genocide and persecution on the religious minorities of Iraq.

Since the US-led coalition forces ended Saddam Hussein’s Ba’ath party rule in 2003, the civilian population in Iraq has been subject to escalating violence. For Iraq’s minorities, the consequences of the war have been particularly grave. Their assimilation, exodus and eradication from Iraq means some communities – many of whom have been present in Iraq for millennia – may be permanently lost from the region. Caught between the warring factions, Iraq’s minorities have become the targets of violence including murder, abduction, torture, rape, and intimidation. Religious buildings, businesses and homes have been destroyed. Discrimination and exclusion from political participation – a feature of Saddam Hussein’s regime – persist today in Iraq’s fledgling democratic processes. This report sets out in stark terms, the plight of Iraq’s minority communities post-2003, and makes an urgent plea to the Iraqi government and international community to take action to protect these vulnerable groups, or to risk their disappearance from their ancient homeland forever.

The Future of Religious Minorities in the Middle East addresses the domestic and international politics that have created conditions for contemporary religious cleansing in the Middle East. It provides a platform for a host of distinguished scholars, journalists, human rights activists, and political practitioners. The contributors come from diverse political, cultural, and religious backgrounds; each one drawing on a deep wellspring of scholarship, experience, sobriety, and passion. Collectively, they make a major contribution to understanding the dynamics of the mortal threat to the social pluralism upon which the survival of religious minorities depends.

Using the metaphor of ‘constitutional space’, this thought-provoking book describes the confluence and convergence of powers in a constitutional system, comprised of the principled exercise of the legislative, executive and judicial powers of constitutional government. Addressing the issues surrounding the freedom of religion or belief, the book explores the dimensions of constitutional space and the content of this freedom, as well as comparative approaches to defining and protecting this freedom.

The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)