March 16, 2011

Iraqi minorities are facing extinction -- the number of Christians for example has been halved, from 1.5 million in 2003 to about 850,000 today. Of those who remain, nearly 60 percent are internally displaced. They are targeted by terrorists groups, unable to defend their churches and communities, face daily discrimination in employment, education, and housing, and are caught in a tug of war in the Arab and Kurdish battle over the disputed territories. Iraq’s other ethnic and religious minorities face a similar existential threat. USIP, in partnership with the Institute for International Law and Human Rights (IILHR), has been working with and supporting Iraq’s Christian and other minority communities since 2005, helping them to find Iraqi solutions to a seemingly insurmountable crisis.

Dialogue is Critical

• In 2009 USIP and IILHR convened representatives from four minority groups to discuss how through combined action they might better address their common challenges. This year-long dialogue has already resulted in improved advocacy on behalf of Iraqi Christians and other minorities. After the October 2010 attack on the Catholic Church in Baghdad, the Alliance for Iraqi Minorities, a network of minority NGOs created through the USIP facilitated dialogue, issued a multi-ethnic, multi-religious statement condemning the attack – an important first step in collective advocacy on behalf of Iraqi minorities.

Rule of Law is Critical

• At a meeting in January 2011, members of the Alliance petitioned Iraq President Jalal Talabani to support critical legislation to protect Iraqi minorities. The President agreed, and the Alliance is currently working on legislation to present to the President.

Parliamentary Action

• USIP and IILHR facilitated dialogue has also resulted in the creation of Iraq’s first Parliamentary Minority Caucus. Every member of the Iraqi Parliament from the Christian, Shebak, Yazidi, and Sabean-Mandean communities, fourteen in all, have joined the caucus and dedicated themselves to concerted advocacy for minority rights. In addition to providing political muscle and support to the minority civil society initiatives, the caucus is lobbying the Ministry of Education to reform treatment of Iraqi minorities in Iraq’s educational curriculum, lobbying for development projects in minority communities, and is working to increase minority hiring in the civil service.

By bringing Iraqi Christian, Yazidi, Shebak, and Sabean-Mandean communities together, providing them intellectual, tactical, administrative, and financial assistance, and demonstrating there are internationals on the ground in Baghdad willing and able to provide them sustained support, USIP is helping these communities identify and prioritize their goals and design and implement an advocacy strategy. In short, USIP is empowering these communities to help themselves.