33 Countries of Origin’ Profiles

IRAQ 1 Produced by the University of Coventry (UK) FAST FACTS • Iraq is a country in Western Asia and is surrounded by Turkey, Syria, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Kuwait. • Arabic and Kurdish are the two most spoken languages in Iraq. • Iraq is a predominantly Muslim country, with over 99% of the population following the official religion. • In recent times, the country has been ravaged by war, a growing refugee crisis, crippling sectarianism , and the violent spread of the self-styled Islamic State extremist movement. • Despite efforts to rebuild a new government, the governing institutions remain weak- corruption and poverty remains prevalent. • Traditional social relationships, in which the family, the extended family, and the tribe are the prime focus, have remained fundamentally important in rural areas but are under pressure in the towns. • During the Iran-Iraq War, with so many men fighting in the military, women were required to study in fields and to work in positions normally filled by men. Many women joined the labour force as teachers, physicians, dentists, factory workers, and civil servants, with the majority performing unskilled labour. • The role of women has been changing, with a higher proportion participating in the labour force despite encouragement from the government to stay at home and raise large families. • In politics, Iraq was the first Arab country ever to elect a woman to a parliamentary position. Today there are women in politics , though the legitimacy of their authority is often questioned. In Islam, the state religion, women do not hold any leadership roles. Many cannot go to the mosque to pray, and if they do, they are segregated from the men. • In the past, arranged marriages were common. However, this practice is becoming increasingly rare, and a law was passed that gave authority to a state-appointed judge to overrule the wishes of the father in the event of an early marriage. • Gender-based violence has escalated in Iraq since the US-led invasion in 2003 until the surge of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the country, killing at least 14,000 women in 12 years. • Sexual violence is used as a tactic of terror in the armed conflict, primarily targeting women and girls of specific ethnic and religious minority groups in Iraq and Syria. Those living in areas under Daesh control are at risk of rights violations, abduction, sexual slavery, rape, torture and abuse