Over the past two decades Iraq may have been the most divided place on earth, with major war, sectarian violence, and horrific spasms of full-blown genocide.
For the larger population of Arab Sunni and Shia Muslims, and the Kurds of the north, continuing violence and unrest is an extreme obstacle to even minimal stability and progress. But for the ancient and persecuted religious minorities of Iraq, mainly Christian and Yazidi, it threatens their very existence. In 2003, at the time of the US invasion, the Christian population was estimated at over 1.3 million. Recent reports suggest there may now be fewer than 200,000 after nearly two decades of recurring violence, persecution, and forced displacement.
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