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{{Short description|Citizens of Iraq}}
{{Iraqis infobox}}
{{redirect|The Iraqis|the Iraqi political party|The Iraqis (party)}}
The '''Iraqi people''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: العراقيون ''ʿIrāqīyūn'', [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]: گه‌لی عیراق ''Îraqîyan'', {{lang-arc|ܥܡܐ ܥܝܪܩܝܐ}} ''ʿIrāqāyā'') or '''Mesopotamian people''' ([[Arabic language|Arabic]]: شعب بلاد ما بين النهرين) are the native inhabitants of the country of '''[[Iraq]]''',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/iraqi|title=Iraqi – a native or inhabitant of Iraq|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Reference.com]]}}</ref> (also known as [[Mesopotamia]]), and their related [[Iraqi diaspora|diaspora]]. From late [[Assyria]]n and [[Babylonia]]n times until the early [[Islam]]ic era, the Iraqi people spoke [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]<ref>{{cite book|last=Morony|first=Michael G.|authorlink=Michael G. Morony|title=Iraq After The Muslim Conquest|year=2005|publisher=[[Gorgias Press|Gorgias Press LLC]]|isbn=978-1-59333-315-7|page=169}}</ref> but also witnessed a minority [[Arab people|Arab]] presence.<ref name='AP'>{{cite book|last=Ramirez-Faria|first=Carlos|title=Concise Encyclopaedia of World History|publisher=Atlantic Publishers|year=2007|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=gGKsS-9h4BYC|page=33|isbn=81-269-0775-4}}</ref><ref name='EB'>{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/31522/Araba|title=Araba (ancient state, Iraq)|publisher=[[Britannica]]|accessdate=2010-11-23}}</ref>
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox ethnic group
| group = Iraqis
| native_name = العراقيون
| native_name_lang =
| image = Map of the Iraqi Diaspora in the World.svg
| caption = Map of the Iraqi diaspora in the world including descendants
| population = 48+- million worldwide
| region1 = {{flag|Iraq}}
| pop1 = 45,504,560
| ref1 = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries/iraq-population |title=Iraq Population |publisher=[[World Bank]] |website=worldpopulationreview.com |access-date=2024-01-27}}</ref>
| region2 = {{flag|Iran}}
| pop2 = [[Iraqis in Iran|500,000]]
| ref2 = <ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.netnative.com/news/01/may/1003.html|title=500,000 Iraqis in Iran|access-date=2010-12-10|archive-date=2019-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610231339/http://www.netnative.com/news/01/may/1003.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region3 = {{flag|Israel}}
| pop3 = [[Iraqi Jews in Israel|450,000]]
| ref3 = <ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20121104095011/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-73357609.html HighBeam]</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Collie |first1=Tim |title=JEWISH & IRAQI |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-03-02-0303020004-story.html |website=Sun-Sentinel |date=2 March 2003 |access-date=2022-04-04 |archive-date=2022-04-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404081432/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2003-03-02-0303020004-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region4 = {{flag|Germany}}
| pop4 = [[Iraqis in Germany|321,000]]
| ref4 = <ref name=statista>{{cite web|url=https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/auslaend-bevoelkerung-2010200187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3|title=Ausländische Bevölkerung in den Jahren 2011 bis 2018|work=statista|language=de|access-date=2022-04-04|archive-date=2022-01-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220120185145/https://www.destatis.de/DE/Themen/Gesellschaft-Umwelt/Bevoelkerung/Migration-Integration/Publikationen/Downloads-Migration/auslaend-bevoelkerung-2010200187004.pdf?__blob=publicationFile&v=3|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region5 = {{flag|United Kingdom}}
| pop5 = [[British Iraqis|400,000–850,000]]
| ref5 = <ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/the-uk-iraqi-diaspora-and-their-mobilization-towards-iraq-homeland-politics-internal-dynamics-and-the-fragmentation-of-diasporic-transnationalism |title=The UK Iraqi Diaspora and their Mobilization towards Iraq |journal=Arab Reform Initiative |date=26 July 2021 |last1=Kadhum |first1=Oula |access-date=4 April 2022 |archive-date=18 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118104937/https://www.arab-reform.net/publication/the-uk-iraqi-diaspora-and-their-mobilization-towards-iraq-homeland-politics-internal-dynamics-and-the-fragmentation-of-diasporic-transnationalism/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region6 = {{flag|United States}}
| pop6 = [[Iraqi Americans|350,000 to 450,000]]
| ref6 = <ref name='census'>{{cite web|url=https://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_1YR_B05006&prodType=table|title=PLACE OF BIRTH FOR THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES Universe: Foreign-born population excluding population born at sea more information 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2016-10-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160918180901/http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=ACS_15_1YR_B05006&prodType=table|archive-date=2016-09-18|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name='AAI'>{{cite web|url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B04006/0100000US|title=PEOPLE REPORTING ANCESTRY|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=2016-10-04|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213005138/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/15_1YR/B04006/0100000US|archive-date=2020-02-13|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| region7 = {{flag|United Arab Emirates}}
| pop7 = [[Iraqis in the United Arab Emirates|250,000]]
| ref7 = <ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/uae-iraqis-restricted-by-passport-delays-1.563221|title = UAE Iraqis restricted by passport delays|date = 28 August 2008|access-date = 26 October 2021|archive-date = 9 March 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160309173530/http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/uae-iraqis-restricted-by-passport-delays?pageCount=0|url-status = live}}</ref>
| region8 = {{flag|Sweden}}
| pop8 = [[Swedish Iraqis|145,586]]
| ref8 = <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.statistikdatabasen.scb.se/pxweb/en/ssd/START__BE__BE0101__BE0101E/FodelselandArK/?rxid=86abd797-7854-4564-9150-c9b06ae3ab07c9b06ae3ab07|title=Population by country of birth, age and sex. Year 2000 - 2020|access-date=2021-10-26|archive-date=2020-11-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201123220100/http://www.statistikdatabasen.scb.se/pxweb/en/ssd/START__BE__BE0101__BE0101E/FodelselandArK/?rxid=86abd797-7854-4564-9150-c9b06ae3ab07c9b06ae3ab07|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region9 = {{flag|Jordan}}
| pop9 = [[Iraqis in Jordan|131,000]]
| ref9 = <ref>{{cite web |title=الأردن يستضيف 3 ملايين شخص من 57 جنسية |url=https://www.almamlakatv.com/news/30988-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%81-3-%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5-%D9%85%D9%86-57-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9%7D%7D |website=قناة المملكة |access-date=21 February 2022 |language=ar |date=18 December 2019 |archive-date=21 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211121230406/https://www.almamlakatv.com/news/30988-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%B1%D8%AF%D9%86-%D9%8A%D8%B3%D8%AA%D8%B6%D9%8A%D9%81-3-%D9%85%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%8A%D9%8A%D9%86-%D8%B4%D8%AE%D8%B5-%D9%85%D9%86-57-%D8%AC%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A9%7D%7D |url-status=live }}</ref>
| region10 = {{flag|Turkey}}
| pop10 = [[Iraqis in Turkey|115,000]]
| ref10 = <ref name='JP'>{{cite web|url=http://www.joshuaproject.net/countries.php?rog3=TU|title=Ethnic groups of Turkey|access-date=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Joshua Project]]|archive-date=2019-07-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719221707/https://joshuaproject.net/countries.php%3Frog3%3DTU|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region11 = {{flag|Australia}}
| pop11 = [[Iraqi Australians|104,170]]
| ref11 = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/research-and-statistics/statistics/country-profiles/profiles/iraq#:~:text=At%20the%20end%20of%20June,57%2C430)%20at%2030%20June%202012. |publisher=Home Affairs|website=www.https://www.homeaffairs.gov.au/|access-date=2024-11-13 |title=Department of Home Affairs Website }}</ref>
| region12 = {{flag|Canada}}
| pop12 = [[Iraqi Canadians|84,130 ]]
| ref12 = <ref>{{cite web |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2021/dp-pd/prof/details/page.cfm?LANG=E&GENDERlist=1&STATISTIClist=1,4&DGUIDlist=2021A000011124&HEADERlist=31,30,25&SearchText=Canada |publisher=Canada Statistics|website=www.statcan.gc.ca/en/start |access-date=2024-11-13 |title=Profile table, Census Profile, 2021 Census of Population - Canada &#91;Country&#93; |date=9 February 2022 }}</ref>
| region13 = {{flag|Netherlands}}
| pop13 = [[Iraqis in the Netherlands|85,000]]
| ref13 =
| region14 =
| pop14 =
| ref14 =
| region15 =
| pop15 =
| ref15 =
| region18 = {{flag|Lebanon}}
| pop18 = [[Iraqis in Lebanon|50,000]]
| ref18 = <ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.infomigrants.net/ar/post/29465/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86|title = العراقيون في لبنان.. لاجئون منسيون بانتظار "إعادة التوطين"|date = 6 January 2021|access-date = 26 October 2021|archive-date = 27 October 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211027133636/https://www.infomigrants.net/ar/post/29465/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%81%D9%8A-%D9%84%D8%A8%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D9%85%D9%86%D8%B3%D9%8A%D9%88%D9%86-%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%86%D8%AA%D8%B8%D8%A7%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D8%B9%D8%A7%D8%AF%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D9%88%D8%B7%D9%8A%D9%86|url-status = live}}</ref>
| region19 = {{flag|Finland}}
| pop19 = [[Iraqis in Finland|26,653]]
| ref19 = <ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset_en.html|title=Persons with foreign background|website=stat.fi|access-date=2020-12-13|archive-date=2021-01-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210105084300/https://www.stat.fi/tup/maahanmuutto/maahanmuuttajat-vaestossa/ulkomaalaistaustaiset_en.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region20 = {{flag|Austria}}
| pop20 = 13,000+
| ref20 = <ref>{{cite web|format=PDF|url=http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_PDF_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=071715|title=Bevölkerung zu Jahresbeginn seit 2002 nach detaillierter Staatsangehörigkeit|trans-title=Population at the beginning of the year since 2002 by detailed nationality|language=de|work=Statistics Austria|date=14 June 2016|access-date=1 August 2016|archive-date=14 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114103956/http://www.statistik.at/wcm/idc/idcplg?IdcService=GET_PDF_FILE&RevisionSelectionMethod=LatestReleased&dDocName=071715|url-status=live}}</ref>
| region21 =
| pop21 =
| ref21 =
| region22 = &nbsp;
| pop22 = '''[[Iraqi diaspora|More countries]]'''
| languages = [[Mesopotamian Arabic]] ([[Semitic languages|Semitic]]): 100% (as the [[official language|official formal language]] spoken by Iraqis) and native [[monolingualism|only language spoken]] to 65–70%;<br />[[Eastern Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic languages]] ([[Semitic languages|Semitic]]): 10%;<br />[[Kurdish languages]] ([[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]): 20%;<br />[[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Iraqi Turkmen Turkish]] ([[Turkic languages|Turkic]]): 7–13%;<ref>Barker, Geoff (2012), Iraq, Britannica, p. 23, {{ISBN|1-61535-637-1}}</ref><br />[[Languages of Iraq|Other indigenous Mesopotamian languages]]; 1% <small>Including: [[Hebrew]], [[Judeo-Iraqi Arabic]], [[Mandaic language|Mandaic]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]] ([[Western Armenian|diasporic]]), [[Shabaki]], [[Domari language|Domari]] and others</small>
| religions = Predominantly<br>[[Islam]] ([[Shia Islam|Shia]] and [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]])<br> Smaller Minorities<br>[[Christianity in Iraq|Christianity]] ([[Church of the East]], [[Oriental Orthodox]], [[Eastern Orthodox]], [[Eastern Catholic]], [[Western Christianity]]), [[Irreligion in Iraq|Irreligion]], [[Iraqi Jews|Judaism]], [[Mandaeism]], [[Yazidism]], [[Yarsanism]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: Pushed to the brink of existence |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |publisher=European Parliament |date=February 2015 |access-date=2022-07-02 |archive-date=2022-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220702112946/https://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/|title=Middle East :: Iraq — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency|website=cia.gov|date=2 November 2021|access-date=24 January 2021|archive-date=10 November 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110072526/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Iraq|title=Iraq - Arabs|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|access-date=2018-09-01|archive-date=2015-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150526175331/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/293631/Iraq|url-status=live}}</ref>
| related_groups = [[Sumerians]], [[Akkadians]], [[Babylonians]] and other [[Arabs]]
}}
'''Iraqis''' ({{langx|ar|العراقيون}}) are the citizens of the [[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]]. Culturally, Iraqis are known for their hospitality, deep-rooted traditions, and a profound respect for both family and community. The majority of Iraqis are [[Muslims]], split between [[Shia]] and [[Sunni]] sects, influencing much of their cultural practices, including art, literature, and daily life.


Iraqi [[Arabs]] are the largest ethnic group in Iraq,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain Foreign |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |title=Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939 |date=1958 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |language=en |access-date=2022-03-17 |archive-date=2023-01-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116124147/https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |url-status=live }}</ref> followed by [[Kurds in Iraq|Iraqi Kurds]], then [[Iraqi Turkmen]] as the third largest ethnic group.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Service |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |access-date=2019-05-02 |archive-date=2019-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526211930/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |author=Mitchell, T. F. |title=Pronouncing Arabic |date=1990–1993 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0198151519 |location=Oxford [England] |pages=37 |oclc=18020063}}</ref> Other ethnic groups include [[Yazidis]], [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]], [[Mandaeans]], [[Armenians]], [[Iranians in Iraq|Ajamis]] and [[Marsh Arabs]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Office |first=Great Britain Foreign |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |title=Documents on British Foreign Policy, 1919-1939 |date=1958 |publisher=H.M. Stationery Office |pages=719 |language=en |access-date=2022-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230116124147/https://books.google.com/books?id=JJpnAAAAMAAJ |archive-date=2023-01-16 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Service |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526211930/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |archive-date=2019-05-26 |access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |last=Mitchell, T. F. |title=Pronouncing Arabic |date=1990–1993 |publisher=Clarendon Press |isbn=0198151519 |location=Oxford [England] |pages=37 |oclc=18020063}}</ref>
[[Arabic language|Arabic]] had been a minority language in Iraq since the 8th century BC,<ref name='AP' /><ref name='UCM'>{{cite journal|author=Blázquez Martínez, José María|authorlink=:es:José María Blázquez Martínez|year=2006|title=Arabia, the Arabs and the Persian Gulf. A Dissertation of Ancient Sources|journal=Gerión|volume=24|issue=2|pages=7–20|publisher=[[Complutense University of Madrid]]|issn=0213-0181|url=http://europa.sim.ucm.es/compludoc/AA?articuloId=692288&donde=castellano&zfr=0|accessdate=2011-03-15}}</ref> it was spoken in [[Kingdom of Araba|Hatra]] in the 1st and 2nd centuries,<ref name='EB'/> and by [[Lakhmids|Iraqi Christians]] in [[Al-Hirah]] from the 3rd century,<ref name='EB2'>{{cite web | url = http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/328265/Lakhmid-dynasty | title = Lakhmid Dynasty (Arabian dynasty) | publisher = [[Britannica]] | accessdate = 2010-11-23 }}</ref> and from the 8th century following the [[Muslim_conquest_of_Persia#First_conquest_of_Mesopotamia_.28633.29|Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia]] it became the common language of Iraqi Muslims, due to Arabic being the language of the [[Qur'an]] and the [[Abbasid Caliphate|Caliphate]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Roberts|first=John Morris|authorlink=John Roberts (historian)|title=History of the World|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|year=1993|page=265}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Rodinson|first=Maxime|authorlink=Maxime Rodinson|title=The Arabs|year=1981|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=0-7099-0377-4|page=56}}</ref> This change was facilitated by the fact that Arabic being a [[Semitic languages|Semitic language]], shared a close resemblance to Iraq's traditional languages of [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] and [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]. Some of Iraq's Christians and Mandaeans retained dialects of Aramaic, since it remained the liturgical language of their faiths. [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]-speaking Iraqis live in the mountainous [[Zagros Mountains|Zagros]] region of northeast Iraq to the east of the upper [[Tigris]]. The Kurds and Arabs of Mesopotamia have interacted and intermarried for well over a millennium. Modern genetic studies indicate that Iraqi Arabs and Kurds have some genetic similarities.<ref name='CS'>Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Paolo Menozzi, Alberto Piazza, The History and Geography of Human Genes, p. 242</ref><ref name='Genetic'>{{cite web|url=http://www.atour.com/health/images/genetics.gif|title=Cavalli-Sforza et al. Genetic tree of West Asia|accessdate=2010-12-10}}</ref> Arabic and Kurdish are Iraq's national languages.


Iraq consists largely of most of ancient [[Mesopotamia]], the native land of the indigenous [[Sumer]]ian, [[Akkadian Empire|Akkadian]], [[Assyria]]n, and [[Babylonia]]n civilizations, which was subsequently conquered, invaded and ruled by foreigners for centuries after the [[Fall of Babylon|fall of the indigenous Mesopotamian empires.]] As a direct consequence of this long history, the contemporary Iraqi population comprises a significant number of different ethnicities.<ref name=":3">{{cite journal |last1=Dogan |first1=Serkan |last2=Gurkan |first2=Cemal |last3=Dogan |first3=Mustafa |last4=Balkaya |first4=Hasan Emin |last5=Tunc |first5=Ramazan |last6=Demirdov |first6=Damla Kanliada |last7=Ameen |first7=Nihad Ahmed |last8=Marjanovic |first8=Damir |title=A glimpse at the intricate mosaic of ethnicities from Mesopotamia: Paternal lineages of the Northern Iraqi Arabs, Kurds, Syriacs, Turkmens and Yazidis |journal=PLOS ONE |date=3 November 2017 |volume=12 |issue=11 |pages=e0187408 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0187408 |pmid=29099847 |pmc=5669434 |bibcode=2017PLoSO..1287408D |issn=1932-6203|doi-access=free }} [[File:CC-BY icon.svg|50px]] Text was copied from this source, which is available under a [https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171016050101/https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |date=2017-10-16 }}.</ref> However, recent studies indicate that the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq ([[Mesopotamia]]) share significant similarities in [[Genetic history of the Middle East|genetics]], likely due to centuries of assimilation between invading populations and the indigenous ethnic groups.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lazim|first1=Hayder|last2=Almohammed|first2=Eida Khalaf|last3=Hadi|first3=Sibte|last4=Smith|first4=Judith|date=2020-09-17|title=Population genetic diversity in an Iraqi population and gene flow across the Arabian Peninsula|journal=Scientific Reports|volume=10|issue=1|pages=15289|doi=10.1038/s41598-020-72283-1|issn=2045-2322|pmc=7499422|pmid=32943725|bibcode=2020NatSR..1015289L}}</ref>
==Cultural history==
{{main|History of Iraq|Culture of Iraq}}
The Iraqi people have an ancient cultural history and civilization.<ref name=JM>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=Ancient Mesopotamia: New Perspectives|year=2005|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-1-57607-965-2|page=313|quote=Iraqis have always been proud of their heritage and of their unique position as guardians of the Cradle of Civilization.}}</ref><ref name=WS>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=William|title=Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-7613-1356-4|page=13|quote=The Iraqi heritage is a proud one. Iraqi ancestors made such contributions to our modern world as a written language, agriculture and the growing of food crops, the building of cities and the urban environment, basic systems of government, and a religious structure centered on gods and goddesses guiding human affairs.}}</ref> In ancient and medieval times Mesopotamia was the political and cultural centre of many great empires. The ancient Iraqi civilization of [[Sumer]] is the oldest known [[civilization]] in the world,<ref name=BMC>{{cite journal|author=Al-Zahery et al.|title=In search of the genetic footprints of Sumerians: a survey of Y-chromosome and mtDNA variation in the Marsh Arabs of Iraq|journal=[[BMC journals|BMC Evolutionary Biology]]|year=2011|month=Oct.|volume=11|page=288|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-11-288|url=http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1471-2148-11-288.pdf|accessdate=16 February 2012|pmid=21970613|pmc=3215667}}</ref> and thus Iraq is widely known as the [[cradle of civilization]].<ref name=JM/> Iraq remained an important centre of civilization for millennia, up until the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (of which [[Baghdad]] was the [[Capital city|capital]]), which was the most advanced empire of the [[Middle Ages|medieval world]] (see [[Islamic Golden Age]]).


The daily language of the majority of Iraqis is [[Mesopotamian Arabic]], and has been ever since the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia and the replacement of various [[Eastern Aramaic languages]], most notably during the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] during which Baghdad became the capital of the caliphate and the center of [[Islamic Golden Age]]. However, Mesopotamian Arabic is considered to be the most Aramaic-influenced dialect of Arabic, due to Aramaic having originated in Mesopotamia, and spread throughout the [[Fertile Crescent]] during the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Neo-Assyrian period]], eventually becoming the [[lingua franca]] of the entire region prior to the Islamic invasions of Mesopotamia. <ref name="CMK" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Aramaic was the medium of everyday writing, and it provided scripts for writing. |title=Humanism, Culture, and Language in the Near East : Studies in Honor of Georg Krotkoff |date=1997 |publisher=Eisenbrauns |others=Krotkoff, Georg., Afsaruddin, Asma, 1958-, Zahniser, A. H. Mathias, 1938- |isbn=9781575065083 |location=Winona Lake, Ind. |oclc=747412055}} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/895080899 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895078359 cite #6 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Tradition and modernity in Arabic language and literature |date=16 December 2013 |others=Smart, J. R., Shaban Memorial Conference (2nd : 1994 : University of Exeter) |isbn=9781136788123 |location=Richmond, Surrey, U.K. |pages=253 |oclc=865579151}} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/895080899 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895078359 cite #7 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Sanchez |first=Francisco del Rio |title="Influences of Aramaic on dialectal Arabic", in: Archaism and Innovation in the Semitic Languages. Selected papers |url=https://www.academia.edu/3782152 |language=en |access-date=2022-04-04 |archive-date=2021-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210911023114/https://www.academia.edu/3782152 |url-status=live }} {{verify source|date=September 2019|reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/895080899 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/895078359 cite #8 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref> In addition, [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]], [[Iraqi Turkmen language|Turkish (Turkmen)]], [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic]] and [[Mandaic language|Mandaic]] are other languages spoken by Iraqis and recognized by Iraq's constitution.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Iraq's Constitution |url=https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en |url-status=live |access-date=2022-04-04 |archive-date=2019-05-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190515162844/https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Iraq_2005.pdf?lang=en }}</ref>
Further information on Iraq's civilization and cultural history can be found in the following chronology of Iraqi history:


==History==
*[[Nemrik 9]] (9800 BC – 8200 BC)
{{Culture of Iraq}}
*[[Jarmo]] (7000 – 5000 BC)
{{main|Mesopotamia|History of Mesopotamia|History of Iraq}}
*[[Sumer]] (6500 – 1940 BC)

In ancient and medieval times [[Mesopotamia]] was the political and cultural centre of many great empires and civilizations, such as the [[Akkadian Empire]], [[Assyria]], [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrian Empire]] and [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylon Empire]].<ref name=JM>{{cite book|last=McIntosh|first=Jane|title=Ancient Mesopotamia: New Perspectives|year=2005|publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]]|isbn=978-1-57607-965-2|page=313|quote=Iraqis have always been proud of their heritage and of their unique position as guardians of the Cradle of Civilization.}}</ref><ref name=WS>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=William|title=Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-7613-1356-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/13 13]|quote=The Iraqi heritage is a proud one. Iraqi ancestors made such contributions to our modern world as a written language, agriculture and the growing of food crops, the building of cities and the urban environment, basic systems of government, and a religious structure centered on gods and goddesses guiding human affairs.|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/13}}</ref> The ancient Mesopotamian civilization of [[Sumer]] is the oldest known [[civilization]] in the world,<ref name="BMC">{{cite journal|author=Al-Zahery|title=In search of the genetic footprints of Sumerians: a survey of Y-chromosome and mtDNA variation in the Marsh Arabs of Iraq|journal=[[BMC Evolutionary Biology]]|date=Oct 2011|volume=11|issue=1 |page=288|doi=10.1186/1471-2148-11-288|url= |pmid=21970613|pmc=3215667|display-authors=etal |doi-access=free |bibcode=2011BMCEE..11..288A }}</ref> and thus Iraq is widely known as the [[cradle of civilization|Cradle Of Civilization]].<ref name=JM/> Iraq remained an important centre of civilization for millennia, up until the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia and subsequently [[Abbasid Caliphate]] (of which [[Baghdad]] was the [[Capital city|capital]]), which was the most advanced empire of the [[Middle Ages|medieval world]] (see [[Islamic Golden Age]]). Hence [[Mesopotamia]] has witnessed several emigration and immigration in the past.

Further information on Iraq's civilization and cultural history can be found in the following chronology of Iraqi history:
* [[Nemrik 9]] (9800 BC – 8200 BC)
* [[Jarmo]] (7000 – 5000 BC)
* [[Sumer]] (6500 – 1940 BC)
:*[[Ubaid period]] (6500 – 4000 BC)
:*[[Ubaid period]] (6500 – 4000 BC)
:*[[Uruk period]] (4000 – 3000 BC)
:*[[Uruk period]] (4000 – 3000 BC)
:*[[History_of_Sumer#Early_Dynastic_period|Early Dynastic period]] (3000 – 2334 BC)
:*[[History of Sumer#Early Dynastic period|Early Dynastic period]] (3000 – 2334 BC)
* [[Sumer]] and [[Akkad (city)|Akkad]] (1900 – 539 BC)
:*[[Akkadian Empire]] (2334 – 2218 BC)
:*[[Akkadian Empire]] (2334 – 2218 BC)
:*[[Gutian dynasty of Sumer|Gutian dynasty]] (2218 – 2047 BC)
:*[[Gutian dynasty of Sumer|Gutian dynasty]] (2218 – 2047 BC)
:*[[Third Dynasty of Ur|Neo-Sumerian Empire]] (2047 – 1940 BC)
:*[[Third Dynasty of Ur|Neo-Sumerian Empire]] (2047 – 1940 BC)
* Akkadian era
*[[Babylonia|Sumer and Akkad]] (1900 – 539 BC)
:*[[Babylonia]] (1900 - 539 BC)
:*[[Assyria]] (1900 – 609 BC)
:*[[Assyria]] (1900 – 609 BC)
:*[[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] (745 – 626 BC)
:*[[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] (745 – 626 BC)
:*[[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] (626 – 539 BC)
:*[[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] (626 – 539 BC)
*[[Achaemenid Empire]] (539 – 330 BC)
:*[[Fall of Babylon]] (539 BC)
* [[Achaemenid Empire]] (539 – 330 BC)
:*[[Achaemenid Assyria]] (539 – 330 BC)
:*[[Achaemenid Assyria]] (539 – 330 BC)
*[[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid Babylonia]] (331 – 141 BC)
* [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid Babylonia]] (331 – 141 BC)
*[[Parthian Empire|Parthian Babylonia]] (141 BC – 224)
* [[Parthian Empire|Parthian Babylonia]] (141 BC – 224)
:*[[Kingdom of Araba|Araba]] (100 BC – 240)
:*[[Kingdom of Araba|Araba]] (100 BC – 240)
:*[[Adiabene]] (15 – 116)
:*[[Adiabene]] (15 – 116)
*[[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid Persia]] (224 – 638)
* [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid Persia]] (224 – 638)
:*[[Asuristan]] (224 – 638)
:*[[Asuristan]] (224 – 638)
:*[[Lakhmids]] (266 – 633)
:*[[Lakhmids]] (266 – 633)
*[[Islamic Golden Age]] (632 – 1258)
* Islamic conquest (632 – 1258)
:*[[Rashidun Caliphate]] (638 – 661)
:*[[Rashidun Caliphate]] (638 – 661)
:*[[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661 – 750)
:*[[Umayyad Caliphate]] (661 – 750)
:*[[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750 – 1258)
:*[[Abbasid Caliphate]] (750 – 1258)
*[[Ilkhanate]] (1258 – 1335)
* [[Ilkhanate]] (1258 – 1335)
*[[History_of_Mesopotamia#Middle_Ages_to_Early_Modern_Period|Turkic dynasties]] (1335 – 1501)
* [[History of Mesopotamia#Middle Ages to Early Modern Period|Turkic dynasties]] (1335 – 1501)
:*[[Jalayirids|Jalayirid Sultanate]] (1335 – 1410)
:*[[Jalayirids|Jalayirid Sultanate]] (1335 – 1410)
:*[[Kara Koyunlu]] (1410 – 1468)
:*[[Kara Koyunlu]] (1410 – 1468)
:*[[Ak Koyunlu]] (1468 – 1501)
:*[[Ak Koyunlu]] (1468 – 1501)
*[[Safavid dynasty]] (1501 – 1533)
* [[Safavid dynasty]] (1501 – 1533)
*[[Ottoman Iraq|Ottoman Empire]] (1533 – 1918)
* [[Ottoman Iraq|Ottoman Empire]] (1533 – 1918)
:*[[Mamluk rule in Iraq|Mamluk dynasty]] (1747 – 1831)
:*[[Mamluk rule in Iraq|Mamluk dynasty]] (1747 – 1831)
*[[British Mandate of Mesopotamia]] (1920 – 1932)
* [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia|British Mandate for Mesopotamia]] (1920 – 1932)
*[[Kingdom of Iraq]] (1932 – 1958)
* [[Kingdom of Iraq]] (1932 – 1958)
*[[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]] (1958 –)
* [[Iraq|Republic of Iraq]] (1958 – present)
:*[[Iraqi Republic (1958–1968)|Iraqi Republic]] (1958 – 1968)

:*[[Ba'athist Iraq]] (1968 – 2003)
==Historical names==
*'''Iraqis''', from [[Arabic language|Arabic]]: {{lang|ar|عراقيين}} ''{{transl|Arabic|ʻIrāqīyīn}}''; from {{lang|ar|العراق}} ''{{transl|Arabic|al-ʿIrāq}}'', from [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]: ''[[Uruk|Erech]]''. The contemporary name comes from the Aramaic name of [[Uruk]] (''Erech''), which became the designation for [[Babylonia]] some time after the decline of [[Babylon]] under the [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] and [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] occupations. This name rendered as العراق ''{{transl|Arabic|al-ʿIrāq}}'' in Arabic, became established during the [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic period]] as the designation for Babylonia.<ref name=MTB>{{cite book|last=Bernhardsson|first=Magnus Thorkell|title=Reclaiming a Plundered Past: Archaeology and Nation Building in Modern Iraq|year=2005|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|isbn=0-292-70947-1|pages=97–98}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Streck|first=M.|title=al-Madāʾin|url=http://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-1/al-madain-SIM_4400|work=[[Encyclopaedia of Islam]], First Edition (1913-1936)|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|accessdate=30 March 2012}}</ref> Over the last millennium its usage by governors and geographers increasingly came to comprehend upper Mesopotamia (ancient [[Assyria]] / contemporary [[Iraq|northern Iraq]] and [[Iraqi Kurdistan]]).<ref name=RV>{{cite journal|last=Visser|first=Reidar|title=Proto-political conceptions of ‘Iraq’ in late Ottoman times|journal=International Journal of Contemporary Iraqi Studies|year=2009|month=Nov.|volume=3|issue=2|pages=143–154|url=http://www.atypon-link.com/INT/doi/abs/10.1386/ijcis.3.2.143/1?journalCode=jcis|doi=10.1386/ijcis.3.2.143}}</ref>

*'''Mesopotamians''', from [[Greek language|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Μεσοποτάμιοι}} ''{{lang|grc-Latn|Mesopotάmioi}}''; from {{lang|grc|Μεσοποταμία}} ''{{lang|grc-Latn|Mesopotamίa}}'' (''"Land between [the] rivers"''). This was the [[Classical antiquity|classical]] name used by the [[Ancient Greece|Ancient Greeks]] and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] after the 4th century BC.<ref name='JNES'>{{cite journal|last=Finkelstein|first=J. J.|title=Mesopotamia|journal=[[Journal of Near Eastern Studies]]|year=1962|month=Apr.|volume=21|issue=2|pages=73–92}}</ref> It is derived from the [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]: ''[[Beth Nahrain]]'' ([[Neo-Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic]]: ܒܝܬ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ) (''"House of [the] rivers"'') which is attested since the 10th century BC as a designation for upper Mesopotamia.<ref name='JNES'/> The name was used briefly after [[World War I]] during the [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia]], as it was the common name in [[Europe]] by which the region was known.<ref name=MTB/> It would probably be in use today however the name became tarnished by [[colonialism]] during the [[British Mandate of Mesopotamia|British occupation]], and the Iraqi state therefore decided to use the [[Exonym and endonym|endonym]] ''Iraq'' (العراق al-ʻIrāq) as the official name. The [[Constitution of Iraq]] refers to the Iraqi people as "the people of Mesopotamia."

*'''Babylonians''', from [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]: ''Babilaya''; from ''Bābilu'', via [[Greek language|Greek]]: {{lang|grc|Βαβυλωνιοι}} ''{{lang|grc-Latn|Βabylōnioi}}''. This name was used in [[Akkadian_language#Development|Late Babylonian]] [[cuneiform]] texts during the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid]], [[Seleucid Empire|Seleucid]] and [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] periods as a [[Ethnonym|self-designation]] for the people of central-southern Iraq (Babylonia).<ref>{{cite book|last=Andrade|first=Nathanael John|title=Imitation Greeks: Being Syrian in the Greco-Roman world (175 BCE–275 CE)|year=2009|publisher=[[ProQuest]]|isbn=1-109-11075-8|pages=38–39}}</ref> During the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanian]] period (224–638), following the decline of the city of [[Babylon]] under the preceding Parthians and Seleucids, the country began to be called after ''[[Uruk|Erech]]''; a major city in southern Babylonia ([[Middle Persian]]: ''Erāq''), and this name became established in the Islamic era as ''Irāq'' (العراق al-ʻIrāq).<ref name=MTB/> The name ''Babil'' (Babylon) as a reference to the country remained in use throughout the Islamic era by Arabic and Persian [[Geography and cartography in medieval Islam|geographers]];<ref name=MTB/> who used the name interchangeably with ''Iraq''.<ref name=MTB/> In the early modern era, the region was known as ''Irak Arabi'' or ''Irak Babeli'' ("Arabic Iraq" or "Babylonian Iraq").<ref>{{cite book|last1=Sale|first1=George|authorlink1=George Sale|last2=Psalmanazar|first2=George|authorlink2=George Psalmanazar|last3=Bower|first3=Archibald|authorlink3=Archibald Bower|title=[[Universal History (Sale et al)|An Universal History: From the Earliest Accounts to the Present Time, Volume 5]]|year=1759|publisher=C. Bathurst|pages=167–168}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Anthon|first=Charles|authorlink=Charles Anthon|title=A Classical Dictionary: Containing The Principle Proper Names Mentioned In Ancient Authors|year=1869|publisher=[[Harper (publisher)|Harper & Brothers]]|page=248|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=EHsMAAAAYAAJ}}</ref>

*'''Anbāṭ''', In the early Islamic period, the [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian Arabs]] referred to the people of Iraq as ''al-Anbāṭ'' (sg. ''Nabaṭī'') (''Nabataean'').<ref name='MM'>{{cite book|last=Morony|first=Michael G.|authorlink=Michael G. Morony|title=Iraq after the Muslim conquest|year=2005|publisher=[[Gorgias Press|Gorgias Press LLC]]|isbn=1-59333-315-3|pages=<sup>a</sup>169–170; <sup>b</sup>169–170; <sup>c</sup>176; <sup>d</sup>176–180; <sup>e</sup>176–180}}</ref> They also referred to the people of [[Greater Syria|Syria]] by the same name.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bosworth|first=Clifford Edmund|authorlink=Clifford Edmund Bosworth|title=The Mediaeval Islamic Underworld|year=1976|publisher=[[Brill Publishers]]|isbn=90-04-04502-3|page=255}}</ref> Analogous to how the [[Egyptians]] were referred to as ''Copts'' ({{lang|ar|قبط}} ''{{transl|Arabic|qubṭ}}'') by the Arabs.


==Genetics==
==Genetics==
{{Further|Genetic history of the Middle East|Genetic history of the Arab world|Assyrian people#Genetics}}
{{cquote|The Iraqi population is without doubt much the same today as it was in Sumerian and Babylonian times.|20px||Professor of Anthropology [[Carleton S. Coon]]|[[The Races of Europe (Coon)|The Races of Europe]].<ref name=CSC>{{cite book|last=Coon|first=Carleton S.|authorlink=Carleton S. Coon|title=[[The Races of Europe (Coon)|The Races of Europe]]|year=1972|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group|Greenwood Press]]|isbn=978-0-8371-6328-4|page=413}}</ref>}}
The Iraqi people are a [[Caucasian race|Caucasian]] people. It has been found that [[Haplogroup J2 (Y-DNA)|Y-DNA Haplogroup J2]] originated in northern Iraq.<ref name='Zahery' /> In spite of the importance of this region, genetic studies on the Iraqi people are limited and generally restricted to analysis of classical markers due to Iraq's modern political instability,<ref name='Zahery' /> although there have been several published studies displaying the genealogical connection between all Iraqi people and the neighbouring countries, across religious and linguistic barriers. One such study reveals a close genetic relationship between [[Iraq]]is, [[Kurdish people|Kurds]], [[Caspian languages|Caspian Iranians]] and [[Svan people|Svani]] [[Georgian people|Georgians]].<ref name=CS/>
One study found that [[Haplogroup J-M172]] originated in northern Iraq.<ref name="Zahery">{{cite web|url=http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/Al_Zahery.pdf|title=N. Al-Zahery et al. "Y-chromosome and mtDNA polymorphisms in Iraq, a crossroad of the early human dispersal and of post-Neolithic migrations" (2003)|access-date=2010-12-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101227053418/http://www.familytreedna.com/pdf/Al_Zahery.pdf|archive-date=2010-12-27|url-status=dead}}</ref> In spite of the importance of this region, genetic studies on the Iraqi people are limited and generally restricted to analysis of classical markers due to Iraq's modern political instability,<ref name="Zahery" /> although there have been several published studies displaying a genealogical connection between all Iraqi peoples and the neighboring countries, across religious, ethnic and linguistic barriers. Studies indicate that the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq ([[Mesopotamia]]) share significant similarities in genetics and that Mesopotamian Arabs, who make up the majority of Iraqis, are more genetically similar to Iraqi Kurds than other Arab populations in the [[Middle East]] and [[Arabia]].<ref name="Hayder Lazim, Eida Khalaf Almohammed, Sibte Hadi & Judith Smith - Scientific Reports volume 10, Article number: 15289 (2020)">{{Cite journal|author=Hayder Lazim|author2=Eida Khalaf Almohammed|author3=Sibte Hadi|author4=Judith Smith|year=2020|title=Population genetic diversity in an Iraqi population and gene flow across the Arabian Peninsula|journal=Nature|volume=10|issue=1|page=15289|doi=10.1038/s41598-020-72283-1|pmc=7499422|pmid=32943725|bibcode=2020NatSR..1015289L}}</ref>


No significant differences in Y-DNA variation were observed among Iraqi Mesopotamian Arabs, Assyrians, or Kurds.<ref name="Zahery" /> Modern genetic studies indicate that Iraqi Arabs and Iraqi Kurds are distantly related, though Iraqi Mesopotamian Arabs are more related to [[Iraqi-Assyrians]] than they are to [[Kurds in Iraq|Iraqi Kurds]].<ref name="CS">Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Paolo Menozzi, Alberto Piazza, The History and Geography of Human Genes, p. 242</ref><ref name="Genetic">{{cite web|url=http://www.atour.com/health/images/genetics.gif|title=Cavalli-Sforza et al. Genetic tree of West Asia|access-date=2010-12-10|archive-date=2011-06-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110614015416/http://www.atour.com/health/images/genetics.gif|url-status=live}}</ref>
Iraqi [[Human mitochondrial genetics|mitochondrial DNA]] (mtDNA) [[Human mitochondrial DNA haplogroup|haplogroup]] distribution is similar to that of [[Iran]], [[Syria]], [[State of Palestine|Palestine]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], and [[Armenia]], whereas it substantially differs from that observed in [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabia]].<ref name='Zahery'/> Iraqi [[Human Y-chromosome DNA haplogroup|Y-chromosome DNA]] (Y-DNA) haplogroup distribution is similar to that of [[Lebanon]], [[Turkey]], and [[Syria]].<ref name='Zahery'/> No significant differences in Y-DNA variation were observed among Iraqi Arabs, Assyrians, or Kurds.<ref name='Zahery'/>


For both mtDNA and Y-DNA variation, the large majority of the [[haplogroup]]s observed in the Iraqi population ([[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|H]], [[Haplogroup J (mtDNA)|J]], [[Haplogroup T (mtDNA)|T]], and [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)|U]] for the mtDNA, [[Haplogroup J2 (Y-DNA)|J2]] and [[Haplogroup J1 (Y-DNA)|J1]] for the Y-DNA) are those considered to have originated in [[Western Asia]] and to have later spread mainly in [[Eurasia|Western Eurasia]].<ref name='Zahery'/> The Eurasian haplogroups [[Haplogroup R1b (Y-DNA)|R1b]] and [[Haplogroup R1a (Y-DNA)|R1a]] represent the second most frequent component of the Iraqi Y-chromosome gene pool, the latter suggests that the population movements from [[Central Asia]]/[[Eastern Europe]] into modern Iran also influenced Iraq.<ref name='Zahery'/>
For both mtDNA and Y-DNA variation, the large majority of the [[haplogroup]]s observed in the Iraqi population ([[Haplogroup H (mtDNA)|H]], [[Haplogroup J (mtDNA)|J]], [[Haplogroup T (mtDNA)|T]], and [[Haplogroup U (mtDNA)|U]] for the mtDNA, [[Haplogroup J-M172|J-M172]] and [[Haplogroup J-M267|J-M267]] for the Y-DNA) are those considered to have originated in [[Western Asia]] and to have later spread mainly in West Asia.<ref name='Zahery'/> The Eurasian haplogroups [[Haplogroup R1b|R1b]] and [[Haplogroup R1a|R1a]] represent the second most frequent component of the Iraqi Y-chromosome gene pool, the latter suggests that the population movements from [[Central Asia]] into modern Iran also influenced Iraq.<ref name='Zahery'/>


Many historians and anthropologists provide strong circumstantial evidence to posit that Iraq's [[Marsh Arabs|Maʻdān]] people share very strong links to the ancient Sumerians<ref name=BMC/><ref>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=William|title=Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-7613-1356-4|page=17|quote=But one writer has suggested after a visit to the marshes near the site of ancient Sumer that "some Iraqis still have a touch of the Sumerian in them."}}</ref> - the most ancient inhabitants of southern Iraq,<ref name=BMC/> and that Iraq's [[Mandaeans]] share the strongest links to the Babylonians.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.simplysharing.com/sumerians.htm|title=Iraq's Marsh Arabs|accessdate=2010-12-10}}</ref> The Beni Delphi (sons of Delphi) tribe of Iraq is believed to have [[Greeks|Greek]] origins, from the Macedonian soldiers of [[Alexander the Great]] and the colonists of the [[Seleucid Empire]].
Many historians and anthropologists provide strong circumstantial evidence to posit that Iraq's [[Marsh Arabs]] share very strong links to the ancient Sumerians<ref name=BMC/><ref>{{cite book|last=Spencer|first=William|title=Iraq: Old Land, New Nation in Conflict|year=2000|publisher=Twenty-First Century Books|isbn=978-0-7613-1356-4|page=[https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/17 17]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/iraqoldlandnewna00spen/page/17}}</ref>—the oldest human civilization in the world and most ancient inhabitants of central-southern Iraq.


The Iraqi-Assyrian population was found to be significantly related to other Iraqis, especially Mesopotamian Arabs,<ref name='Genetic'/><ref name=BMC/> likely due to the assimilation of indigenous Assyrians with other people groups who occupied and settled Mesopotamia after the fall of the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tubiana |first=Joseph |date=2012-10-22 |title=Siegbert Uhlig (ed.): Encyclopaedia Aethiopica. Volume 1 |journal=Aethiopica |volume=7 |pages=194–211 |doi=10.15460/aethiopica.7.1.294 |issn=2194-4024 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
The [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] Christian population are closely related to other [[Iraq]]is,<ref name=Genetic/><ref name=BMC/> and also to [[Jordan]]ians, yet due to religious [[endogamy]] have a distinct genetic profile that distinguishes their population.<ref name="ReferenceA">Dr. Joel J. Elias, Emeritus, University of California, The Genetics of Modern Assyrians and their Relationship to Other People of the Middle East</ref> "The Assyrians are a fairly homogeneous group of people, believed to originate from the land of old Assyria in northern Iraq [..] they are Christians and are bona fide descendants of their namesakes."<ref>Luigi Luca Cavalli-Sforza, Paolo Menozzi, Alberto Piazza, The History and Geography of Human Genes, p. 243</ref> Many Iraqis who today speak Arabic are originally of [[Assyria]]n roots.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kjeilen|first=Tore|title=Assyrians|url=http://i-cias.com/e.o/assyrians.htm|publisher=LookLex Encyclopaedia|accessdate=16 February 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kjeilen|first=Tore|title=Iraq / Peoples|url=http://i-cias.com/e.o/iraq.peoples.htm|publisher=LookLex Encyclopaedia|accessdate=29 February 2012}}</ref>


Studies have reported that most [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[Celtic Britons|Britons]] have ancestry to [[Neolithic]] farmers who left ancient Mesopotamia over 10,000 years ago. Genetic researchers say they have found compelling evidence that, on average, four out of five (80%) Europeans can trace their [[Y chromosome]] to the ancient [[Near East]]. In another study, scientists analyzed [[DNA]] from the 8,000-year-old remains of early farmers found at an ancient graveyard in [[Germany]]. They compared the genetic signatures to those of modern populations and found similarities with the DNA of people living in today's [[Turkey]] and [[Iraq]].<ref name='BBC'>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11729813|title=Migrants from the Near East 'brought farming to Europe'|access-date=2010-12-10|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2010-11-10|archive-date=2010-12-13|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101213144452/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11729813|url-status=live}}</ref>
In a 2011 study focusing on the genetics of the [[Marsh Arabs|Maʻdān]] people of Iraq, researchers identified Y chromosome [[haplotype]]s shared by Marsh Arabs, Iraqis, and Assyrians, "supporting a common local background."<ref name=BMC/>


According to Dogan et al. (2017), the most prevalent lineages among north Iraqis are J1 (17.98%), R1b (12.81%), R1a (12.40%) and J2a1b (12.19%) but distributions vary according to ethnicity. 14 different haplogroups were observed in Iraqi Arabs, with the three most common being J1 (38.61%), R1a (12.87%) and T (8.91%). The high prevalence of J1 is indicative of the indigeneity of Iraqi Arabs, which is similarly observed in Marsh Arabs. Prevalence of R and J macrohaplogroups is also attributed to pre-[[Last Glacial Maximum]] events in the Near East. Meanwhile, 15 different haplogroups were observed in Kurds, with the three most common being J2a1b (20.20%), J1 / R1a (17.17%) and E1b1b (13.13%). 10 different haplogroups were observed in Syriacs, with the three most common being R1b (30.23%), T (17.44%) and J2a1b (15.12%). 16 different haplogroups were observed in Turkmens, with the three most common being E1b1b (17.53%), J1 / J2a1b / R1a (12.37%) and G2a (10.31%). 11 different haplogroups were observed in Yazidis, with the three most common being R1b (20.79%), L (11.88%) and G2a / J2a1x J2a1b/h (10.89%).<ref name=":3" />
Studies have reported that most [[Irish people|Irish]] and [[British people|Britons]] are descendants of farmers who left modern day [[Iraq]] and [[Syria]] 10,000 years ago.<ref name='Neolithic'>{{cite news|url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1244654/Study-finds-Britons-descended-farmers-left-Iraq-Syria-10-000-years-ago.html|title=Most Britons descended from male farmers who left Iraq and Syria 10,000 years ago|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Daily Mail]]|location=London|first=David|last=Derbyshire|date=2010-01-20}}</ref> Genetic researchers say they have found compelling evidence that four out of five (80% of) [[White people|white]] [[Europe]]ans can trace their roots to the [[Near East]].<ref name=Neolithic/> In another study, scientists analysed [[DNA]] from the 8,000 year-old remains of early farmers found at an ancient graveyard in [[Germany]]. They compared the genetic signatures to those of modern populations and found similarities with the DNA of people living in today's [[Turkey]] and [[Iraq]].<ref name='BBC'>{{cite news|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-11729813|title=Migrants from the Near East 'brought farming to Europe'|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[BBC]]|date=2010-11-10}}</ref>

==Identity==
{{Main|Iraqi nationalism}}
Iraqis have historically been a [[Multilingualism|multilingual]] people, conversant in several languages but having a [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] [[lingua franca]]. Iraqi identity transcends language boundaries and is more associated with geography; the [[Tigris]]–[[Euphrates]] alluvial plain and its environs.

What defines somebody as being Iraqi are factors including speaking [[Iraqi Arabic|Mesopotamian Arabic]], Aramaic or Kurdish, being of Iraqi ancestry, identifying with Iraqi culture and Iraqi history; both ancient and contemporary, and having Iraqi nationality. Many Iraqis of Christian and Kurdish backgrounds wholeheartedly identify as Iraqi and feel themselves part of the Iraqi people, with shared Mesopotamian origins and cultural bonds.

While Iraqis are often thought of as comprising several ethnic groups, most Iraqis, as a people with an ancient civic culture and tradition of multilingualism, have historically engaged in healthy inter-communal relations,<ref name=PM>{{cite journal|last=Marr|first=Phebe|title=Iraqi identity|year=2003}}</ref> and favoured a common identity,<ref name=PM/> and due to this Iraqis as a whole can be seen to bear some characteristics of an ethnic group.<ref name=PM/>

The single identity and culture of the Iraqi people is most commonly seen in the [[Iraqi cuisine]]. Iraqi cuisine has changed and evolved since the time of the Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians, Assyrians and Abbasids; however several traditional Iraqi dishes have already been traced back to antiquity <ref>{{cite book|last=Nasrallah|first=Nawal|title=Delights from the Garden of Eden: A Cookbook and History of the Iraqi Cuisine|year=2003|publisher=[[AuthorHouse|1stBooks]]|isbn=1-4033-4793-X}}</ref> such as Iraq's national dish [[Masgouf]] and Iraq's national cookie [[Kleicha]], which can be traced back to Sumerian times.<ref>{{cite book|last=Marks|first=Gil|authorlink=Gil Marks|title=Encyclopedia of Jewish Food|year=2010|publisher=[[John Wiley & Sons]]|isbn=0-470-39130-8|page=317|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ojc4Uker_V0C&pg=PA317&lpg=PA317#v=onepage&q&f=false}}</ref>

Nowadays, the demonym "Iraqi" includes all minorities in the country, such as the [[Kurds]] and [[Iraqi Turkmens|Turkmen]] (although these groups often specify their ethnicity by adding a suffix such as "Iraqi Kurdish" or "Iraqi Turkmen"). It is common for Iraqi Arabs to have relatives of Iraqi Kurdish background, and vice versa.

Iraqis trace their ancestry back to the ancient people of the land,<ref name=WS/><ref name=AM>{{cite book|last=Mili|first=Amel|title=Exploring The Relation Between Gender Politics and Representative Government in the Maghreb|year=2009|publisher=[[ProQuest]]|isbn=978-1-109-20412-4|page=92}}</ref> and are proud of their ancient Mesopotamian roots and legacy,<ref name=JM/><ref name=WS/> which contributed so much to the world.<ref name=WS/> Iraqi author [[Salim Matar]] writes that Iraqi people claim that:
{{cquote|We are [[Mesopotamia]]ns. We descend from the ancient Mesopotamians.|20px|}}


==Language==
==Language==
Iraq's national languages are [[Arabic]] and [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]]. The two main regional dialects of Arabic spoken by the Iraqi people are [[Mesopotamian Arabic]] (spoken in the Babylonian alluvial plain and Middle Euphrates valley) and [[South Mesopotamian Arabic]] and [[North Mesopotamian Arabic]] (spoken in the Assyrian highlands).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_profiles/2004-2005/Iraq.html|title=Country Profile: Iraq|date=25 August 2006|access-date=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Mongabay]]|archive-date=2011-05-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514113818/http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_profiles/2004-2005/Iraq.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The two main dialects of Kurdish spoken by [[Kurdish people]] are [[Central Kurdish]] (spoken in the [[Erbil Governorate|Erbil]] and [[Sulaymaniyah Governorate]]s)<ref name='KRG'>{{cite web|url=http://www.krg.org/articles/detail.asp?lngnr=12&smap=03010500&rnr=142&anr=18694|title=The Kurdish language|publisher=[[Kurdistan Regional Government|KRG]]|access-date=2010-12-12|archive-date=2010-12-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101202061511/http://krg.org/articles/detail.asp?rnr=142&lngnr=12&smap=03010500&anr=18694|url-status=dead}}</ref> and [[Northern Kurdish]] (spoken in [[Dohuk Governorate]]).<ref name='KRG' /> In addition to Arabic, most Assyrians and [[Mandaeans]] speak [[Neo-Aramaic languages]]. Mesopotamian Arabic has an [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] [[Stratum (linguistics)#Substratum|substratum]].<ref name="CMK">{{cite journal |last=Muller-Kessler |first=Christa |date=Jul–Sep 2003 |title=Aramaic 'K', Lyk' and Mesopotamian Arabic 'Aku, Maku: The Mesopotamian Particles of Existence |journal=[[Journal of the American Oriental Society|The Journal of the American Oriental Society]] |volume=123 |issue=3 |pages=641–646 |doi=10.2307/3217756 |jstor=3217756}}</ref>
===Contemporary===
Iraq's national languages are [[Arabic language|Arabic]] and [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]. Arabic is spoken as a first language by around 79 percent of Iraqi people, and Kurdish by around 17 percent. The two main regional dialects of Arabic spoken by the Iraqi people are [[Iraqi Arabic|Mesopotamian Arabic]] (spoken in the Babylonian alluvial plain and Middle Euphrates valley) and [[North Mesopotamian Arabic]] (spoken in the Assyrian highlands).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mongabay.com/reference/country_profiles/2004-2005/Iraq.html|title=Country Profile: Iraq|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[Mongabay]]}}</ref> The two main dialects of Kurdish spoken by Kurdish Iraqis are [[Soranî]] (spoken in the provinces of [[Arbil Province|Arbil]] and [[Sulaymaniyah Province|Sulaymaniyah]])<ref name='KRG'>{{cite web|url=http://www.krg.org/articles/detail.asp?lngnr=12&smap=03010500&rnr=142&anr=18694|title=The Kurdish language|publisher=[[Kurdistan Regional Government|KRG]]|accessdate=2010-12-12}}</ref> and [[Kurmanji]] (spoken in the province of [[Dohuk Province|Dohuk]]).<ref name='KRG' /> In addition to Arabic, most [[Assyrian people|Christian Iraqis]] and some [[Mandaeism|Mandaean Iraqis]] speak [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Neo-Aramaic]] dialects, and around 1 percent of Iraqi people speak [[Persian language|Persian]] and [[South Azeri language|Turkmen]] respectively.


==Religion and ethnic groups==
Iraqi Arabic has an [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] [[Stratum_(linguistics)#Substratum|substratum]],<ref name=CMK>{{cite journal|last=Muller-Kessler|first=Christa|title=Aramaic 'K', Lyk' and Iraqi Arabic 'Aku, Maku: The Mesopotamian Particles of Existence.|journal=[[Journal of the American Oriental Society|The Journal of the American Oriental Society]]|year=2003|month=Jul. - Sep.|volume=123|issue=3|pages=641–646}}</ref> and retains a number of words of [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] provenance.
{{See also|Irreligion in Iraq}}


{{Multiple image
The vast majority of [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] and [[Neo-Aramaic languages|Aramaic]]–speaking Iraqis also speak [[Iraqi Arabic]].<ref name='KRG'/>
| image1 = The Monastery of Saint Matthew and its environs 08.jpg
| image2 = قبة جامع الحيدر خانة.jpg
| caption1 = [[Mor Mattai Monastery]]
| caption2 = [[Haydar-Khana Mosque]]
| alt1 =
}}


===Linguistic history===
=== Ethnicity ===
Iraq's population was estimated to be 39,650,145 in 2021 (residing in Iraq).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Middle East :: Iraq — The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110072526/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ |archive-date=2022-11-10 |access-date=2019-04-08 |website=cia.gov}}</ref> Arabs are the majority ethnic group in Iraq, at around 80%.<ref>{{Cite web |title=2.15. Religious and ethnic minorities, and stateless persons |url=https://euaa.europa.eu/country-guidance-iraq-2021/215-religious-and-ethnic-minorities-and-stateless-persons |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=European Union Agency for Asylum |language=en}}</ref> The [[Kurds in Iraq|Kurds]] are the largest ethnic minority. [[Iraqi Turkmens|Turkmens]] are the third largest ethnic group in the country. This is followed by [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] and [[Armenians]] (500,000), [[Yazidis]] (500,000), [[Marsh Arabs]], and [[Shabak people|Shabaks]], [[Ajam of Iraq|Persians]] (500,000) (250,000). Other minorities include [[Mandaeans]] (6,000), [[Dom people|Roma]] (50,000) and [[Circassians in Iraq|Circassians]] (2,000). The most spoken language is [[Mesopotamian Arabic]], followed by [[Kurdish languages|Kurdish]], [[Iraqi Turkmen#Language|Iraqi Turkmen]] dialects and [[Eastern Aramaic languages|Syriac]]. The percentages of different ethno-religious groups residing in Iraq vary from source to source due to the last Iraqi census having taken place over 30 years ago. A new census of Iraq was planned to take place in 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Iraq prepping to conduct a census in 2020|url=http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/121220181|access-date=2019-05-01|website=rudaw.net|archive-date=2019-05-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190501194825/http://www.rudaw.net/english/middleeast/iraq/121220181|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Minorities in Iraq - European Research Service |url=http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190526211930/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf |archive-date=2019-05-26 |access-date=2019-05-02}}</ref>
[[File:Cuneiform script.jpg|thumb|right|A 6th century BC [[Babylonia]]n [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] inscription. The Akkadian language was in written use in Iraq until the 2nd century AD]]
At the time of the [[Muslim_conquest_of_Persia#First_conquest_of_Mesopotamia_.28633.29|Islamic conquest]] in the 7th century, the majority of Iraqis spoke [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]],<ref name='MM'/> having adopted this language in the early to mid 1st millennium BC during the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire|Assyrian]] and [[Neo-Babylonian Empire|Babylonian]] empires. Prior to this adoption of Aramaic, Iraqis had spoken the oldest known [[Semetic language]], the [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]], since the late 3rd millennium BC, and [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]] for millennia prior to that. The Sumerian and Akkadian languages remained in written use in Iraq until the late 2nd century AD.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lendering|first=Jona|authorlink=Jona Lendering|title=Babylon|url=http://www.livius.org/ba-bd/babylon/babylon.html|publisher=Livius.org|accessdate=24 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Kipfer|first=Barbara Ann|authorlink=Barbara Ann Kipfer|title=Encyclopedic Dictionary of Archaeology|year=2000|publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer]]|isbn=978-0-306-46158-3|page=542}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Hooker|first=J. T.|title=Reading the Past: Ancient Writing from Cuneiform to the Alphabet|year=1990|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-07431-6|page=27}}</ref>


=== Religion ===
Akkadian and Aramaic are both [[Semitic language]]s closely related to the [[Arabic language]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=De Laet|first1=Sigfried J.|last2=Dani|first2=Ahmad Hasan|authorlink2=Ahmad Hasan Dani|title=History of Humanity: From the Third Millennium to the Seventh Century B.C.|year=1996|publisher=[[UNESCO]]|isbn=978-92-3-102811-3|page=230}}</ref> while Sumerian is a [[language isolate]].<ref name=BMC/>
Iraqis are diverse in their faiths. Over 95% of Iraqis are Muslim, divided between 55% Shias and 40% Sunnis.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religious Politics in Iraq |url=https://www.usip.org/publications/2003/05/religious-politics-iraq |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=United States Institute of Peace |language=en}}</ref> In 1968 the Iraqi constitution established [[Islam]] as the official religion of the state.


{{Pie chart|caption=Religion in Iraq (2019)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ | title=Iraq | date=15 May 2022 | access-date=24 January 2021 | archive-date=10 November 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221110072526/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iraq/ | url-status=live }}</ref>|color1=Green|color2=Gold|color3=Blue|color4=White|label1=[[Islam in Iraq|Islam]]|label2=[[Yazidism]]|label3=[[Christianity]]|label4=others (incl.[[Yarsanism]], [[Zoroastrianism]], [[Baháʼí Faith|Baháʼí]], [[Mandaeism]], [[Irreligion in Iraq|Irreligion]])|value1=95|value2=1.25|value3=1.25|value4=2}}
Significant numbers of Arabic-speakers had been settling in Iraq since the early 1st millennium BC,<ref name='MM'/> however they usually became Aramaicized after a few generations in the country.<ref name='MM'/> Though there were a few Arabic-speaking cities during the [[Parthian Empire|Parthian]] and [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanian]] eras, such as [[Kingdom of Araba|Hatra]] and [[Lakhmids|Al-Hirah]] respectively.<ref name='EB'/><ref name='EB2'/>
In addition, [[Christianity in Iraq]] consists of various denominations. The majority of Iraqi Christians are [[Iraqi-Assyrians|Chaldean Catholic Assyrians]], whilst non-Syriac Christians are mostly Iraqi Arabs and Armenians. [[Iraqi-Assyrians]] largely belong to the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]], the [[Assyrian Church of the East]], [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], [[Ancient Church of the East]], and the [[Syriac Catholic Church]]. Iraqi Arab Christians belong to the [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch]] and the [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch]], and [[Armenians in Iraq|Iraqi-Armenians]] belong to the [[Armenian Apostolic Church|Armenian Orthodox Church]] and [[Armenian Catholic Church]]. Their numbers inside Iraq have dwindled to around 500,000+ since 2003.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf|title=Minorities in Iraq: EU Research Group|access-date=2019-05-11|archive-date=2019-08-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190807202012/http://www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2015/548988/EPRS_BRI(2015)548988_REV1_EN.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>


Other religious groups include [[Mandaeans]], [[Shabak people|Shabaks]], [[Yazidis]] and followers of other [[minority religion]]s. Furthermore, [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Jews]] had also been present in Iraq in significant numbers historically, and [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Iraq had the largest Jewish population in the Middle East]], but their population dwindled, after virtually all of them migrated to [[Israel]] between 1949 and 1952. From 1949 to 1951, 104,000 Jews were evacuated from Iraq in Operations Ezra and Nechemia (named after the Jewish leaders who took their people back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylonia beginning in 597 B.C.E.); another 20,000 were smuggled out through Iran.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/world/middleeast/01babylon.html|title=Baghdad Jews Have Become a Fearful Few|access-date=2010-12-10|work=[[The New York Times]]|first=Stephen|last=Farrell|date=2008-06-01|archive-date=2017-09-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902184451/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/world/middleeast/01babylon.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1647740,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930135229/http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1647740,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 30, 2007|title=The Last Jews of Baghdad|date=2007-07-27|magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|access-date=2010-12-15|first=David|last=Van Biema}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Jews in Islamic Countries: Iraq|url=https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/iraqijews.html|access-date=2015-11-04|archive-date=2017-01-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170119020143/http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/iraqijews.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
Shortly following the [[Rashidun Caliphate|Rashidun]] Islamic conquest, the [[Umayyad Caliphate]] was established in 661 AD. At the end of the 7th century, the fifth [[Umayyad family tree|Umayyad]] [[Caliph]] [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan]] ([[Reign|r.]] 685–705) established [[Arabic language|Arabic]] as the [[official language]] of the state.<ref>{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Douglas A.|title=Syria (Modern World Nations)|year=2010|publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]]|isbn=978-1-60413-617-3|page=34}}</ref>
By the end of the 8th or 9th century, Arabic had largely replaced Aramaic in Iraq. An Aramaic [[vernacular]] was retained only by small minorities who didn't convert to the popular [[Islam]]ic faith. There were also significant numbers of [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian]]s who settled in Iraq during this time, and many Iraqis became affiliated with [[Arab tribes in Iraq|Arab tribes]], as was customary.

The point at which Aramaicization (whereby Arabs settling in Iraq became Aramaicized) gave way to Arabicization seems to have been around the mid eighth century,<ref name='MM'/> around the time of the establishment of the [[Abbasid Caliphate]] in [[Baghdad]], and shortly after [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] [[Caliph]] [[Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan]] had made Arabic the official language of the state.

Notwithstanding their historical [[Language shift|adoption]] of Arabic during the [[Caliphate]], the majority of Iraqis remain conscious of their [[Babylonia]]n and [[Assyria]]n descent, and are highly proud of their ancient and ancestral [[Mesopotamia|pre-Islamic]] heritage,<ref name=JM/><ref name=WS/> as they are of their medieval [[Islamic Golden Age|Islamic]] heritage.

In addition, since the [[Achaemenid Empire|Achaemenid era]] in the mid 1st millennium BC, through the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanian era]] in the mid 1st millennium AD, and to the present time, there has been a small [[Persian people|Persian]] minority and a bilingual [[Persian language|Persian]]-speaking minority in Iraq.<ref name='EI'>{{cite web|last=Morony|first=Michael G|authorlink=Michael G. Morony|title=IRAQ i. IN THE LATE SASANID AND EARLY ISLAMIC ERAS|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/iraq-i-late-sasanid-early-islamic|publisher=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]]|accessdate=2011-09-03}}</ref> During the Sassanian era (224–638), Iraq was the core of [[Sassanid Empire|Persia]],<ref name='EI'/> and many urban Iraqis were conversant in [[Middle Persian|Persian]] as a [[second language]].<ref name='EI'/>

Linguistic chronology of the Iraqi people:
{| class="wikitable"
|-
| <small>'''[[Language isolate|Isolate]]'''</small>
| <small>'''[[East Semitic languages|Semitic]]'''</small>
| <small>'''[[Central Semitic languages|Semitic]]'''</small>
| <small>'''[[Central Semitic languages|Semitic]]'''</small>
|-
| [[Sumerian language|Sumerian]]
| [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]]
| [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
| [[Arabic language|Arabic]]
|-
| 3500 BC<small><sup>1</sup></small> →
| 2200 BC →
| 700 BC →
| 800 AD →
|}
<small><sup>1</sup>First attestation.</small>

==Religion==
[[File:ImamAliMosqueNajafIraq.JPG|thumb|200px|The [[Imam Ali Mosque|Imām ‘Alī Mosque]] in [[Najaf]], [[Iraq]]]]
Iraq has many devout followers of its religions. In 1968 the Iraqi constitution established [[Islam]] as the official religion of the state as the majority of Iraqis (97%) are Muslim (predominantly [[Shia Islam|Shīʻah]] but also including minority [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]]).

In addition to Islam, many Iraqi people are Christians belonging to various Christian denominations, some of which are the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] ([[Chaldean Christians]]), the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]], and the [[Assyrian Church of the East]]. Their numbers inside Iraq have dwindled considerably and range between 500,000 and 800,000; around 2% of the population.

Other religious groups include [[Mandaeism|Mandaeans]], [[Shabak people|Shabaks]], [[Yazidi]]s and followers of other [[minority religion]]s. Furthermore, [[History of the Jews in Iraq|Jews]] had also been present in Iraq in significant numbers historically, but their population dwindled, after virtually all of them [[Operation Ezra and Nehemiah|fled to Israel]] between 1949 to 1952.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/01/world/middleeast/01babylon.html|title=Baghdad Jews Have Become a Fearful Few|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[The New York Times]]|first=Stephen|last=Farrell|date=2008-06-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite news| url=http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1647740,00.html|title=The Last Jews of Baghdad|date=2007-07-27|publisher=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|accessdate=2010-12-15|first=David|last=Van Biema}}</ref>


==Diaspora==
==Diaspora==
{{Main|Iraqi diaspora|Refugees of Iraq}}
{{Main|Iraqi diaspora|Refugees of Iraq}}
Iraqis form one of the largest [[diaspora]]s in the world. The [[Iraqi diaspora]] is not a sudden exodus but one that has grown rapidly through the 20th century as each generation faced some form of radical transition or political conflict. From 1950 to 1952 Iraq saw a great exodus of roughly 120,000 - 130,000 of its Jewish population under the Israel-led "[[Operation Ezra and Nehemiah]]". There were at least two large waves of expatriation of both Christians and Muslims alike. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] and large numbers have left during the [[Second Gulf War]] and its aftermath. The [[United Nations]] estimates that roughly 40% of Iraq's remaining and formerly strong middle-class have fled the country following the [[U.S.]]-led invasion in 2003.
The [[Iraqi diaspora]] is not a sudden exodus but one that has grown rapidly through the 20th century as each generation faced some form of radical transition or political conflict. From 1950 to 1952 Iraq saw a great exodus of roughly 120,000–130,000 of its Jewish population under the Israel-led "[[Operation Ezra and Nehemiah]]". There were at least two large waves of expatriation of both Christians and Muslims alike. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the regime of [[Saddam Hussein]] and large numbers have left during the [[Iraq War|Iraq war]] and its aftermath.

As a consequence of nine years of [[United States|U.S.]] military occupation and massive terrorism introduced by the occupation, Iraqis currently form the second largest refugee group in the world numbering over 1.8 million.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/4c11f0be9.html|title=Iraqis are the second largest refugee group in the world, with an estimated 1.8 million seeking refuge primarily in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[UNHCR]]}}</ref> The [[United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees|UNHCR]] estimates that over 4.7 million Iraqis have been displaced during the U.S. occupation of Iraq.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/iraq.html|title=UNHCR – Iraq|accessdate=2010-12-10|publisher=[[UNHCR]]}}</ref>


==See also==
==See also==
*[[Demographics of Iraq]]
* [[Demographics of Iraq]]
*[[List of Iraqis]]
* [[List of Iraqis]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
* [https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2010/nov/10/ancient-world-mesopotamia Mesopotamia: Birthplace of civilisation]
*[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8213001278676327450# History of the Iraqi people]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090227125033/http://www.irisprojects.umd.edu/ppc_ideas/Iraq_Assessment/Secure/full_paper.pdf Iraqi identity - Forces for Integration/ Divisiveness]
*[http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/2010/nov/10/ancient-world-mesopotamia Mesopotamia: Birthplace of civilisation]
*[http://www.irisprojects.umd.edu/ppc_ideas/Iraq_Assessment/Secure/full_paper.pdf Iraqi identity - Forces for Integration/ Divisiveness]
*[http://www.familytreedna.com/public/Iraq/default.aspx The Iraq DNA project]


{{Demographics of Iraq}}
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
<br />
{{Iraq topics}}
{{Iraq topics}}
{{Iraqi diaspora}}
{{Iraqi diaspora}}
{{Authority control}}


{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraqi People}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Iraqi People}}
[[Category:Iraqi people| ]]
[[Category:Iraqi people| ]]
[[Category:Ancient peoples]]
[[Category:Society of Iraq|People]]
[[Category:Semitic peoples]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in the Middle East]]
[[Category:Fertile Crescent]]
[[Category:Ethnic groups in Iraq]]
[[Category:Indigenous peoples of Western Asia]]
[[Category:Arab people]]
[[Category:Muslim communities]]

[[ar:عراقيون]]
[[sh:Iračani]]

Latest revision as of 18:38, 20 December 2024

Iraqis
العراقيون
Map of the Iraqi diaspora in the world including descendants
Total population
48+- million worldwide
Regions with significant populations
 Iraq45,504,560[1]
 Iran500,000[2]
 Israel450,000[3][4]
 Germany321,000[5]
 United Kingdom400,000–850,000[6]
 United States350,000 to 450,000[7][8]
 United Arab Emirates250,000[9]
 Sweden145,586[10]
 Jordan131,000[11]
 Turkey115,000[12]
 Australia104,170[13]
 Canada84,130 [14]
 Netherlands85,000
 Lebanon50,000[15]
 Finland26,653[16]
 Austria13,000+[17]
 More countries
Languages
Mesopotamian Arabic (Semitic): 100% (as the official formal language spoken by Iraqis) and native only language spoken to 65–70%;
Neo-Aramaic languages (Semitic): 10%;
Kurdish languages (Indo-Iranian): 20%;
Iraqi Turkmen Turkish (Turkic): 7–13%;[18]
Other indigenous Mesopotamian languages; 1% Including: Hebrew, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, Mandaic, Armenian (diasporic), Shabaki, Domari and others
Religion
Predominantly
Islam (Shia and Sunni)
Smaller Minorities
Christianity (Church of the East, Oriental Orthodox, Eastern Orthodox, Eastern Catholic, Western Christianity), Irreligion, Judaism, Mandaeism, Yazidism, Yarsanism[19][20][21]
Related ethnic groups
Sumerians, Akkadians, Babylonians and other Arabs

Iraqis (Arabic: العراقيون) are the citizens of the Republic of Iraq. Culturally, Iraqis are known for their hospitality, deep-rooted traditions, and a profound respect for both family and community. The majority of Iraqis are Muslims, split between Shia and Sunni sects, influencing much of their cultural practices, including art, literature, and daily life.

Iraqi Arabs are the largest ethnic group in Iraq,[22] followed by Iraqi Kurds, then Iraqi Turkmen as the third largest ethnic group.[23][24] Other ethnic groups include Yazidis, Assyrians, Mandaeans, Armenians, Ajamis and Marsh Arabs.[25][26][27]

Iraq consists largely of most of ancient Mesopotamia, the native land of the indigenous Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian civilizations, which was subsequently conquered, invaded and ruled by foreigners for centuries after the fall of the indigenous Mesopotamian empires. As a direct consequence of this long history, the contemporary Iraqi population comprises a significant number of different ethnicities.[28] However, recent studies indicate that the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq (Mesopotamia) share significant similarities in genetics, likely due to centuries of assimilation between invading populations and the indigenous ethnic groups.[29]

The daily language of the majority of Iraqis is Mesopotamian Arabic, and has been ever since the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia and the replacement of various Eastern Aramaic languages, most notably during the Abbasid Caliphate during which Baghdad became the capital of the caliphate and the center of Islamic Golden Age. However, Mesopotamian Arabic is considered to be the most Aramaic-influenced dialect of Arabic, due to Aramaic having originated in Mesopotamia, and spread throughout the Fertile Crescent during the Neo-Assyrian period, eventually becoming the lingua franca of the entire region prior to the Islamic invasions of Mesopotamia. [30][31][32][33] In addition, Kurdish, Turkish (Turkmen), Neo-Aramaic and Mandaic are other languages spoken by Iraqis and recognized by Iraq's constitution.[34]

History

[edit]

In ancient and medieval times Mesopotamia was the political and cultural centre of many great empires and civilizations, such as the Akkadian Empire, Assyria, Assyrian Empire and Babylon Empire.[35][36] The ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Sumer is the oldest known civilization in the world,[37] and thus Iraq is widely known as the Cradle Of Civilization.[35] Iraq remained an important centre of civilization for millennia, up until the Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia and subsequently Abbasid Caliphate (of which Baghdad was the capital), which was the most advanced empire of the medieval world (see Islamic Golden Age). Hence Mesopotamia has witnessed several emigration and immigration in the past.

Further information on Iraq's civilization and cultural history can be found in the following chronology of Iraqi history:

  • Akkadian era
  • Islamic conquest (632 – 1258)

Genetics

[edit]

One study found that Haplogroup J-M172 originated in northern Iraq.[38] In spite of the importance of this region, genetic studies on the Iraqi people are limited and generally restricted to analysis of classical markers due to Iraq's modern political instability,[38] although there have been several published studies displaying a genealogical connection between all Iraqi peoples and the neighboring countries, across religious, ethnic and linguistic barriers. Studies indicate that the different ethno-religious groups of Iraq (Mesopotamia) share significant similarities in genetics and that Mesopotamian Arabs, who make up the majority of Iraqis, are more genetically similar to Iraqi Kurds than other Arab populations in the Middle East and Arabia.[39]

No significant differences in Y-DNA variation were observed among Iraqi Mesopotamian Arabs, Assyrians, or Kurds.[38] Modern genetic studies indicate that Iraqi Arabs and Iraqi Kurds are distantly related, though Iraqi Mesopotamian Arabs are more related to Iraqi-Assyrians than they are to Iraqi Kurds.[40][41]

For both mtDNA and Y-DNA variation, the large majority of the haplogroups observed in the Iraqi population (H, J, T, and U for the mtDNA, J-M172 and J-M267 for the Y-DNA) are those considered to have originated in Western Asia and to have later spread mainly in West Asia.[38] The Eurasian haplogroups R1b and R1a represent the second most frequent component of the Iraqi Y-chromosome gene pool, the latter suggests that the population movements from Central Asia into modern Iran also influenced Iraq.[38]

Many historians and anthropologists provide strong circumstantial evidence to posit that Iraq's Marsh Arabs share very strong links to the ancient Sumerians[37][42]—the oldest human civilization in the world and most ancient inhabitants of central-southern Iraq.

The Iraqi-Assyrian population was found to be significantly related to other Iraqis, especially Mesopotamian Arabs,[41][37] likely due to the assimilation of indigenous Assyrians with other people groups who occupied and settled Mesopotamia after the fall of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.[43]

Studies have reported that most Irish and Britons have ancestry to Neolithic farmers who left ancient Mesopotamia over 10,000 years ago. Genetic researchers say they have found compelling evidence that, on average, four out of five (80%) Europeans can trace their Y chromosome to the ancient Near East. In another study, scientists analyzed DNA from the 8,000-year-old remains of early farmers found at an ancient graveyard in Germany. They compared the genetic signatures to those of modern populations and found similarities with the DNA of people living in today's Turkey and Iraq.[44]

According to Dogan et al. (2017), the most prevalent lineages among north Iraqis are J1 (17.98%), R1b (12.81%), R1a (12.40%) and J2a1b (12.19%) but distributions vary according to ethnicity. 14 different haplogroups were observed in Iraqi Arabs, with the three most common being J1 (38.61%), R1a (12.87%) and T (8.91%). The high prevalence of J1 is indicative of the indigeneity of Iraqi Arabs, which is similarly observed in Marsh Arabs. Prevalence of R and J macrohaplogroups is also attributed to pre-Last Glacial Maximum events in the Near East. Meanwhile, 15 different haplogroups were observed in Kurds, with the three most common being J2a1b (20.20%), J1 / R1a (17.17%) and E1b1b (13.13%). 10 different haplogroups were observed in Syriacs, with the three most common being R1b (30.23%), T (17.44%) and J2a1b (15.12%). 16 different haplogroups were observed in Turkmens, with the three most common being E1b1b (17.53%), J1 / J2a1b / R1a (12.37%) and G2a (10.31%). 11 different haplogroups were observed in Yazidis, with the three most common being R1b (20.79%), L (11.88%) and G2a / J2a1x J2a1b/h (10.89%).[28]

Language

[edit]

Iraq's national languages are Arabic and Kurdish. The two main regional dialects of Arabic spoken by the Iraqi people are Mesopotamian Arabic (spoken in the Babylonian alluvial plain and Middle Euphrates valley) and South Mesopotamian Arabic and North Mesopotamian Arabic (spoken in the Assyrian highlands).[45] The two main dialects of Kurdish spoken by Kurdish people are Central Kurdish (spoken in the Erbil and Sulaymaniyah Governorates)[46] and Northern Kurdish (spoken in Dohuk Governorate).[46] In addition to Arabic, most Assyrians and Mandaeans speak Neo-Aramaic languages. Mesopotamian Arabic has an Aramaic substratum.[30]

Religion and ethnic groups

[edit]

Ethnicity

[edit]

Iraq's population was estimated to be 39,650,145 in 2021 (residing in Iraq).[47] Arabs are the majority ethnic group in Iraq, at around 80%.[48] The Kurds are the largest ethnic minority. Turkmens are the third largest ethnic group in the country. This is followed by Assyrians and Armenians (500,000), Yazidis (500,000), Marsh Arabs, and Shabaks, Persians (500,000) (250,000). Other minorities include Mandaeans (6,000), Roma (50,000) and Circassians (2,000). The most spoken language is Mesopotamian Arabic, followed by Kurdish, Iraqi Turkmen dialects and Syriac. The percentages of different ethno-religious groups residing in Iraq vary from source to source due to the last Iraqi census having taken place over 30 years ago. A new census of Iraq was planned to take place in 2020.[49][25][26][27][50]

Religion

[edit]

Iraqis are diverse in their faiths. Over 95% of Iraqis are Muslim, divided between 55% Shias and 40% Sunnis.[51] In 1968 the Iraqi constitution established Islam as the official religion of the state.

Religion in Iraq (2019)[52]

  Islam (95%)
  Yazidism (1.25%)
  Christianity (1.25%)

In addition, Christianity in Iraq consists of various denominations. The majority of Iraqi Christians are Chaldean Catholic Assyrians, whilst non-Syriac Christians are mostly Iraqi Arabs and Armenians. Iraqi-Assyrians largely belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Ancient Church of the East, and the Syriac Catholic Church. Iraqi Arab Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church of Antioch, and Iraqi-Armenians belong to the Armenian Orthodox Church and Armenian Catholic Church. Their numbers inside Iraq have dwindled to around 500,000+ since 2003.[53]

Other religious groups include Mandaeans, Shabaks, Yazidis and followers of other minority religions. Furthermore, Jews had also been present in Iraq in significant numbers historically, and Iraq had the largest Jewish population in the Middle East, but their population dwindled, after virtually all of them migrated to Israel between 1949 and 1952. From 1949 to 1951, 104,000 Jews were evacuated from Iraq in Operations Ezra and Nechemia (named after the Jewish leaders who took their people back to Jerusalem from exile in Babylonia beginning in 597 B.C.E.); another 20,000 were smuggled out through Iran.[54][55][56]

Diaspora

[edit]

The Iraqi diaspora is not a sudden exodus but one that has grown rapidly through the 20th century as each generation faced some form of radical transition or political conflict. From 1950 to 1952 Iraq saw a great exodus of roughly 120,000–130,000 of its Jewish population under the Israel-led "Operation Ezra and Nehemiah". There were at least two large waves of expatriation of both Christians and Muslims alike. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the regime of Saddam Hussein and large numbers have left during the Iraq war and its aftermath.

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
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  2. ^ "500,000 Iraqis in Iran". Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2010.
  3. ^ HighBeam
  4. ^ Collie, Tim (2 March 2003). "JEWISH & IRAQI". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 4 April 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  5. ^ "Ausländische Bevölkerung in den Jahren 2011 bis 2018" (PDF). statista (in German). Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 January 2022. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
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  7. ^ "PLACE OF BIRTH FOR THE FOREIGN-BORN POPULATION IN THE UNITED STATES Universe: Foreign-born population excluding population born at sea more information 2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  8. ^ "PEOPLE REPORTING ANCESTRY". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 13 February 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
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