In Iraq, Christmas is a unique occasion for Christians; the celebrations, customs, and traditions are very religious in nature. Persecuted for their faith, the people in Iraq associate the festival of Christmas with two things — the birth of Jesus Christ and celebrations of the mid-winter holidays. With great devotion, the Christians celebrate the festival of Christmas by carrying out religious services and reciting prayers. The celebrations are historically serene and peaceful.
Read MoreCardinal Sako recently called for a secular system in Iraq that separates religion from the state, citing it as the optimal choice for governance in Iraq. Speaking at the Peace and Security Forum in the Dohuk province, Sako urged for a constitutional amendment in the country, emphasizing the importance of “establishing a civil democratic state that adopts citizenship, embraces diversity, and respects rights, civilizations, religions, and sects.”
Read MoreIraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid met with the head of the Catholic Church Pope Francis in the Vatican after a controversial dispute earlier this year with the head of the Chaldean Church.
According to a statement released by the president’s office, Rashid and Pope Francis discussed the situation of Christians in Iraq with the president saying they are a “key component in the building of the country, its progress and prosperity.”
Read MoreTragedy struck the village of Bakhdida during a wedding celebration on Tuesday evening. At least 120 have been declared dead and more than 500 people injured due to severe burns and or difficulty breathing in a fire in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains Province. The death toll is still rising.
Read MoreSince 2014, confiscating and seizing of property has become increasingly prevalent in Iraq, with thousands of homes and properties being sold without their owners’ knowledge. Armed militias have undertaken these land-grabs, seizing property in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, the Nineveh Province, and Kurdistan Region, supported by Islamist parties that have been at the helm of power since 2003, in coordination with several public land registry officials.
Read MoreIt was mid-July when Iraqi President Abdul Latif Rashid revoked a decree that gave state recognition to His Beatitude Mar Louis Raphaël Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church. The decree had given recognition to the patriarch’s appointment by the Holy See as head of the Chaldean Church “in Iraq and the world” and thus, “responsible for the assets of the Church.” Why did Rashid do that, and what does it mean for Iraq’s dwindling Christian population?
Read More“The fruit of love is service, which is compassion in action.” Mother Teresa’s words echoed in our hearts as we embarked on a remarkable medical mission to Iraq in June 2023. With a team of nine dedicated healthcare professionals and two aspiring medical students, we traveled to a land that held both ancestral roots and a need for medical assistance. What unfolded was an emotional and impactful experience that left a lasting impression on us.
Read MoreDespite punishingly high temperatures, dozens of Iraqis took to the streets of Baghdad on July 18 to protest water and electricity shortages, and to blame Turkey for reduced flow of rivers. Designated by the United Nations as one of the five countries in the world most touched by some effects of climate change, Iraq is experiencing its fourth consecutive summer of drought.
Read MoreThe annual Ankawa Youth Meeting in Iraq ended with a captivating Divine Liturgy led by Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Warda, alongside participating clergy. Recognized as the largest gathering of Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian youth, this year’s event took place at the esteemed Mor Elijah Chaldean Shrine. Over a thousand young men and women from various Chaldean archdioceses in Iraq eagerly participated.
Read MoreStartling news out of Iraq caught many off-guard mid-July; the Chaldean patriarch has removed himself from the capital of Baghdad and is now in a monastery in northern Iraq. Tensions had been brewing between Cardinal Louis Sako and the military leader who goes by Rayan al-Kildani for months, but the latest move by none other than the president of Iraq, Abdul Latif Rashid, threatens to strip the patriarch of any power over the Church’s holdings in the country. It is such a big story that all major international news outlets have covered it in depth, and so have we.
Read MoreFor centuries, Christian communities in Iraq have served as soft targets for other groups to conquer. The evidence is laid out in history books, generational memories, and the stories of constant immigration that leads to today’s diaspora.
Read MoreIraq launched a $17 billion project to link a major commodities port on its southern coast by rail and roads to the border with Turkey, in a move designed to transform the country’s economy after decades of war and crisis.
The Development Road aims to tie the Grand Faw Port in Iraq’s oil-rich south to Turkey, turning the country into a transit hub by shortening travel time between Asia and Europe in a bid to rival the Suez Canal.
Read MoreIt was day two in Iraq. We were still jet lagged. Several in our delegation were born in Iraq but had never been back. We stepped off the van and into a tiny village that appeared to be unchanged from a couple hundred years ago. While modernity and progress had passed it by, war and destruction did not. Maybe 250 families live here, we were told. It was the Christian village located in the Nineveh Plain just a short mile from Telkaif. For this group, it was our first opportunity to see what had become of our ancestral homeland. Emotions were raw.
Read MoreRep. Slotkin, whose 7th congressional district includes Lansing and extends as far East as South Lyon, introduced the resolution to address various Christian communities and call for Iraq to create an ongoing fund dedicated to rebuilding their towns.
Read MoreHanan Qia and Ghazwan Alyass are independent contractors who joined the staff of the Chaldean Community Foundation in 2022 in order to be the eyes and ears of the CCF, which is currently working on rebuilding villages and creating economic opportunities for the people of the Nineveh Plain in Iraq. They were here in Michigan recently to attend the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce’s Awards Dinner and to tour the Chaldean Community Foundation.
Read MoreThe Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce is considering investing in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq, a region where a large portion of the population are Christians and saw massive destruction following the brutal arrival of the Islamic State (ISIS) in 2014.
Martin Manna, who heads the Chamber of Commerce, told Rudaw that “these are our ancestor’s lands. This is important for us to invest in places where we have quite a large population.
“This is likely the best place in all of Iraq and we want to maintain our identity, our culture, our language in this region.”
Read MoreUnusually cold temperatures did not put a damper on Assyrian, Chaldean, and Syriac celebrations of Akitu, the Assyrian-Babylonian New Year, in the Kurdistan Region on Saturday. Akitu marks the revival of nature in the spring and the ancient festival was dedicated to the rebirth of the ancient Mesopotamian god Marduk and his victory when he created the world out of chaos.
Read MoreFor decades now, Mosul’s Christians haven’t been able to worship in their churches because their city was racked with insecurity and violence. But on Sunday, April 2, 2023, Holy Mass was celebrated at the Monastery of Saint Michael for the first time in more than 20 years. It was officiated by Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa, who was overjoyed to be able to conduct the service there.
Read MoreALQOSH, Iraq — On 4 April, the Chaldean–Syriac–Assyrian people of Alqosh, located in northern Nineveh Plains in Iraq, held the Alqosh Market Festival. The event was attended by residents from other regions and Alqosh residents who came from the diaspora.
Read MoreThe history of alcohol in Iraq stretches thousands of years, back to the invention of beer in ancient Mesopotamia. Their ruins are full of hundreds of clay tablets that record the methods and means of making and drinking beer; some even depict drink councils. Cups and vessels for drinking and manufacturing wine are also frequently found among the artifacts.
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