Tag Archives | Religion

PM supports Cardinal Sako to Succeed Late Pope Francis

By John Lee. Iraq's Prime Minister has committed "unwavering support" for Cardinal Louis Sako (pictured) to succeed the late Pope Francis as head of the Catholic Church. Describing him as the only nominee from the Middle East, Mohammed S. Al-Sudani said the 76-year-old Chaldean Archbishop of Baghdad is widely respected both locally and internationally. Full […]

Iraq debates Personal Status Law

From Amwaj Media. Any opinions expressed are those of the author(s), and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Reticent religious authorities stand to gain as Iraq debates personal status law Amid the revival of a proposed amendment to Iraq's personal status legislation, activists have raised alarm that it would fundamentally undermine […]

PM forbids State Bodies from Classifying Iraqis by Sect

By Al Monitor staff. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Iraqi prime minister forbids state bodies from classifying Iraqis by sect Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi ordered state institutions to stop classifying Iraqis by religious sect following a social media outcry […]

Christian School re-opens in Mosul

By Adnan Abu Zeed for Al Monitor. Any opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. School bells finally rang at Shimon Safa Elementary School this fall, Mosul’s oldest Christian school that had been closed for four years. The school, also called the Shimon Safa Institute, is located […]

Fear of Extinction pushes Basra’s Christians to Isolation

By Saad Salloum for Al Monitor. Any opinions here are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News.  Shiites around the world celebrated the Arbaeen holiday Nov. 9. This year, Christians in Iraq participated in the Shiite ritual to attest to the coexistence and social interaction between the Christian […]

What is Abadi doing to Protect Iraq’s Christians?

By Omar al-Jaffal, for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon Louis Sako boycotted the National Conference on the Protection of Peaceful Coexistence, the Ban of Hatred and the Fight against Terrorism and Extremism held in the Iraqi parliament Feb. […]

Can Iraq Separate Religion and State?

By Wassim Bassem for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Several groups appear to be vying to control Iraqis' social lives and liberties: organized crime, religious factions and even armed security forces. Motives range from money to fundamentalism, but the situation […]

Iraq sees Exodus of Minorities

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Media outlets are broadcasting the departure of hundreds of thousands of Syrians and Iraqis from their countries toward Europe by boat, train or on foot. The scenes of escape and displacement coupled with panic […]

Ayatollah Sistani For Nobel Peace Prize?

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. Journalist Colin Freeman wrote a March 4 article for The Telegraph's blog titled, “Forget Obama and the EU. The man who should really have the Nobel Peace Prize is an obscure Iraqi cleric." In it, he offered up […]

Iraqis Welcome Interfaith Harmony Week

By Ali Mamouri for Al-Monitor. Any opinions expressed are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the views of Iraq Business News. On Oct. 20, 2010, the United Nations declared the first week of February the annual Interfaith Harmony Week. That decision came after a series of UN attempts to promote peace and harmony between different cultures and […]

Sadr's Political Exit Boosts Maliki

By John Lee. Iraqi political analyst Ali Ameer has told Reuters that radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's retirement from politics will boost Prime Minister Maliki in the forthcoming April general elections. "Sadr's decision will definitely play into the hands of Maliki one way or the other," said Ameer, echoing the thoughts of other analysts. Sadr, who […]

Weekly Security Update for 15th March 2012

Levels of violence rose in Iraq last week. At least 70 people were killed and 76 injured in nationwide incidents, although this figure does not include the ‘emo’ and LGBT fatalities widely reported in open sources within Iraq over the past two weeks. A significant rise in the number of small arms fire attacks left […]