Iraqi diaspora

The Iraqi diaspora refers to native Iraqis that have left for other countries as emigrants or refugees, and is now one of the largest in modern times, being described by the UN as a "humanitarian crisis" largely due to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

History

The Iraqi diaspora is not a sudden exodus but one that has grown exponentially through the 20th century as each generation faced some form of radical transition or political conflict. There were at least two large waves of expatriation. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the government of Saddam Hussein, and large numbers have left during the Second Gulf War and its aftermath.

Iraq, to some extent, has a history of emigration of its various ethnic populations before the current war. The Jewish community which had been there since 586 BC left or were forced to leave shortly after the founding of the State of Israel in 1948. The Iraqi Jewish population of 120,000 almost sixty years later has grown to 250,000 to 400,000 in Israel, approximately 1/24th of the population, but it is culturally and politically significant. In Israel, Jews of Iraqi descent are called Sefardim. Iraq has only "about a dozen" Jews.^[1]

Other populations have also been displaced or relocated. The Assyrian people have dealt with a century long dispersion of its people. Another ethnic group are the Mandeans, who numbered around 40,000 before the current war. Now, the last practising Gnostic sect in the Middle East has almost entirely left Iraq.

During the first Gulf War, Iran provided refuge for 1.4 million Iraqi's, though many did not settle their permanently. Facing international pressure, the United States agreed to allow Iraqi's in the Rafha refugee camp in Saudi Arabia to restle in America. Through 2002, over 32,000 Iraqi refugees had been resettled in the United States; they joined a population of non-refugee Iraqis in America, bringing the total to about 90,000 Iraqis in the US, most notably in Detroit, Chicago and San Diego.

The history of emigration and of the diaspora community then drastically changed with the invasion of Iraq in 2003. There are many sources claiming different amounts of displaced Iraqis. Some claim as low as 1.2 million people have left Iraq, while others claim this number to be around 4-5 million. ^[2] It is difficult to gauge an accurate number of how many Iraqis seek refuge in other nations because of the constant outflow of Iraqis.

According to "UN statistics on displaced Iraqis around the world" of September 2007, Syria and Jordan are absorbing 44 per cent of displaced Iraqis globally. Other countries have also received Iraqis. Egypt, which has pledged to end Iraqi immigration, already has 150,000 ethnic Iraqi people. The United Kingdom, whose Iraqi population comes largely if not entirely from before the 2003 Iraq war, has a population numbering a quarter of a million. Iran also has approximately 204,000 Iraqi expatriates. And, in Lebanon, notably due to West of Syria has 100,000 refugees. Sweden has allowed 18,000 refugees to enter, by far the most of any European country, but has indicated that it too plans on tightening restrictions.

Current number of Iraqis in all countries

Locations

The following countries have hosted Iraqi refugees. This list is by no means conclusive.

Africa

Algeria

The current population of Iraqis living in Algeria is estimated at around 20,000.^[22]

Egypt

Since the Iraq war in 2003, Egypt has allowed a number of Iraqi refugees in the country. The current Iraqi population in Egypt stands at around 150,000.^[8]

However, it is reported that Egypt is closing its doors to Iraqis. The precise reasons are unknown but according to ReliefWeb, one reason, apart from the fact that refugees are a strain on an already fragile economy, Egypt does not want Iraq to become a Shia state, as most refugees to the country are believed to be Sunni.^[27]^[28]

Since January 2007, more stringent laws have been applied restricting the entry of new refugees. Egypt fears that the arrival of more refugees may increase prices in real estate, potentially causing resentment towards Iraqis by Egyptians. Another reason is that Egypt fears the arrival of Iraqis belonging to different sects, possibly causing sectarian strife. The vast majority of refugees fleeing to Egypt are Sunni Muslims, therefore changing the demographics of certain regions within Iraq. Demands of building Shia mosques and shrines in Egypt by Iraqis have been rejected by the authorities.^[29]

Libya

Americas

Brazil

Approximately 51,000 Iraqi refugees have immigrated to Brazil, and there are more 100,000 ethnic Iraqi in Brazil .

Europe

Armenia

There has long been a well-established Armenian population in Iraq, due to the Armenian genocide. However, since the United States-led invasion of Iraq, many Iraqis now have sought refuge in Armenia. Some sources claim 460 Iraqi refugees living in Armenia.^[30]

Austria

Bulgaria

Denmark

Denmark has been a strong host nation to Iraqi refugees, where there are approximately 12,000.^[33] Iraqis are one of the largest Arab ethnic groups living in Denmark. This is partially due to the large number of Kurds who have emigrated from northern Iraq.

Finland

A recent influx of Iraqi refugees arrived in Finland, numbering at around 1,600.^[34]

France

The current population of Iraqis in France is estimated at around 8,200. However, it has been reported that since the invasion of Iraq, France has only accepted 13 refugees.^[35] ^[36]

Germany

The number of Iraqis in Germany is estimated at around 150,000 ^[10] In 2006, out of 2,727 asylum applications for Iraqi refugees, only 8.3 percent were accepted. ^[38] Some sources claim there to be just around 40,000 Iraqi refugees residing in Germany. ^[39] In 2006, Germany granted just 8.3 percent of Iraqi asylum demands, according to the ministry.^[40]

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

The current population of Iraqis in Italy stands at around 1,300; however one source claims there to be 1,068, which is approximately 50 families. ^[43] Most of these are priests, nuns and seminarians who have come to pursue their studies in Italy. ^[44] The majority are residents of Rome.

There have been recent appeals from the Iraqi community living in Italy to free any Italian and Iraqi Italian residents currently working in Iraq. ^[45]

In November 2007, 800 Iraqi Kurds sought refugee in Italy, of which only 20 of them applied for asylum and the other received 15 day expulsion orders.^[46]

Romania

Russia

Significant groups of Iraqis have emigrated to Russia as early as the 1990s.^[48] Iran credits Russia with being one of the first countries to provide concrete assistance in processing Iraqi refugees; Russia's Emergency Situations Ministry began preparing two sites for refugee camps in western Iran in April 2003.^[49] However, Iraqis admitted to Russia often find themselves the targets of racism; as with Afghan refugees, they are mistaken for migrants from the Caucasus, who are stereotyped in Russia as drug dealers and criminals.^[48]

Spain

The current population of Iraqis in Spain are unknown; however, since the Iraq war, Spain has been host to 45 Iraqi refugees. An additional 42 Iraqis requested asylum in 2006.^[50] There are roughly about 3,700 asylum seekers in Spain, and a further 642 Iraqis hold residency permits.^[51]

Iraqi immigration to Spain accounted for 1706 permanent residents in the year 2006.

Switzerland

The current population of Iraqis in Switzerland is estimated to be around 5,000. However, the Swiss government is currently closing doors to future Iraqi refugees, and offering to send external aid instead. Christoph Blocher, the Swiss Justice and Police Minister, stated that "We already have 5,000 Iraqis in Switzerland and our country is in second place in Europe in accepting them".^[52]^[53]

Turkey

Turkish citizens of Iraqi heritage currently number around 60,000-90,000. Turkey currently hosts 600 recognized Iraqi refugees. The Turkish government had approved Iraqi asylum seekers in 2001 by a rate of 78 percent.^[54] In September 2004 only 407 Iraqis applied to the UNHCR for asylum in Turkey.^[55] As of June 2006, UNHCR in Ankara had registered only 2,404 Iraqis as asylum seekers in Turkey.^[56]

Most Iraqi refugees living in Turkey are Christian, mainly Chaldean Catholics, and often face indifference by their Turkish counterparts.^[57]

About 13,000 Iraqi Christian refugees are now in Turkey, including 7,000 in Istanbul.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom has the largest Iraqi community in the Western World with estimates ranging from 250,000 to 450,000.

Middle East

Kuwait

The current Iraqi population in Kuwait is difficult to determine, as there are no official figures, but estimates range from 10,000 to 13,000.^[58] According to the UNHCR, only 427 Iraqis have been registered as asylum seekers and 18 Iraqis have been recognized as refugees in Kuwait.^[58]

Due to poor Iraqi-Kuwaiti relations, Kuwait had previously announced that it will not provide shelter for any Iraqi refugees and will prevent them from entering the country by guarding the border with Saudi Arabian troops. However, Kuwait did announce that they will hold any refugees in a 15 kilometer-wide demilitarized strip on the Iraqi side of the border, where it would provide humanitarian assistance.^[58]

Kuwait has maintained strict regulations when considering refugees; however, the country hosted 15,000 Iraqis throughout the 1990s, most of which have resided in Kuwait. Currently, the country shelters some 13,000 Iraqis according to the UNHCR.^[59]

Pakistan

The current Iraqi population in Pakistan is estimated at around 150, but exact figures are difficult to ascertain, as many have slipped away into the country's large urban centres unregistered. It is believed that many Iraqi's chose Pakistan as a conduit nation in their quest to enter Europe and America. It is believed that tripple the current estimates of Iraqi's living in Pakistan have passed through the nation though exact figures are difficult to attain.^[60]

United Arab Emirates

The current population of Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates is estimated to be around 100,000.^[61]

Yemen

Since the war in 2003, despite not sharing a border with Iraq, Yemen has become a host country for many Iraqi refugees. However, in 2004, the Yemeni government has changed its policy and currently requires Iraqi nationals to hold visas before letting them into Yemen; this has restricted their entry into the country. It is difficult to estimate how many Iraqis are in Yemen, as the numbers vary frequently, with many arriving and leaving quickly. In 2004, the UNHCR estimated that 100,000 Iraqis were living in Yemen.^[14]

Israel

In 1951, about 120,000 Iraqi Jews fled to Israel. While not traditionally considered part of the iraqi diaspora, Some Jews of iraqi descent kept their unique traditions, cuisine, culture and sometimes even national sentiment (most notable of those was Samir Naqqash, a renowned writer). Several Israeli Jews exercised their voting rights as Iraqis in the Iraqi elections.

Contents