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Yazidi leaders and Chaldean clergymen meeting in Mesopotamia, 1800s.

The major religion is Islam which is practiced by about 95% of Iraqis. The other 5% are Judaism, Christian, Catholic, and other religions. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Religions Yazdânism (Yazidism) Scriptures Kitêba Cilwe (Book of Illumination) Languages Kurmanji, Arabic The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: Êzidîtî or Êzidî, Arabic: يزيدي or ايزيدي) are adherents of the smallest of the three branches of Yazdânism, a Middle Eastern religion with ancient Indo-European roots. ... Look up Chaldean in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Mesopotamia was a cradle of civilization geographically located between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq. ... // Invention of the Jacquard loom in 1801. ... For people named Islam, see Islam (name). ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ...

Religions

Islam

Iraq's Muslims follow two distinct traditions, Shia and Sunni Islam. The Shias represent the largest single group in Iraq and comprise 60-65% of the Iraqi population. Shiʻa Islam (Arabic شيعى follower; English has traditionally used Shiite) makes up the second largest sect of believers in Islam, constituting about 30%–35% of all Muslim. ... Sunni Islam (Arabic سنّة) is the largest denomination of Islam. ...

Christianity

Iraq's Assyrian minority, who are Christian, represent 3% of the population. It has been suggested that Assyrian people be merged into this article or section. ... For other uses, see Christian (disambiguation). ...

Yazdânism

The Yazidi live near Mosul and are primarily made up of ethnic Kurds. Yazdânism dates to pre-Islamic times and Mosul is the principal holy site of the Yazidi faith. The holiest Yazidi shrine is that of Sheikh Adi located at the necropolis of Lalish. Aside from the Yazidi religion, there are also the religions of the Yarsani, Alevi and the non-Yazdanist Kakai 'davidism' among the Iraqi Kurds. Religions Yazdânism (Yazidism) Scriptures Kitêba Cilwe (Book of Illumination) Languages Kurmanji, Arabic The Yazidi (also Yezidi, Kurdish: Êzidîtî or Êzidî, Arabic: يزيدي or ايزيدي) are adherents of the smallest of the three branches of Yazdânism, a Middle Eastern religion with ancient Indo-European roots. ... Mosul (Arabic: , Kurdish: موصل Mûsil, Syriac: NînÄ›wâ, Turkish: Musul) is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate. ... Kurds are one of the Iranian peoples and speak Kurdish, a north-Western Iranian language related to Persian. ... Yazdânism or Cult of Angels (also Yazdâni or Yazdanism) is a modern term for the monotheistic, though universalist, religion that was practiced by most Kurds up to the Islamization during the sixteenth century. ... Sheikh Adi Ibn Musafir al Umawi (Arabic: عدي بن مسافر الاموي) reformed the Yezidi faith of the Kurdish people in 1162. ... For the record label, see Necropolis Records. ... Conical roofs chracteristic of Yazidi sites mark the tomb of Sheik Adi in Lalish Lalish (Kurdish: LaliÅŸ, also called: Lalisha nûranî) is a small mountain valley situated in Iraqi Kurdistan, about 60 km north-east of the city of Mosul. ... Also referred to as Yarsan or Yaresan and also Ali-Ilahis or Aliullahis by outsiders, is one of many Sufi orders in Iran, combining various syncretistic and Islamic ideas with a veneration of Ali Ibn Abi Talib, the son-in-law of Muhammad. ... This box:      Alevis ( Turkish: Aleviler or Alevilik; Kurdish: ) are a religious, sub-ethnic, and cultural community in Turkey numbering in the tens of millions. ...

Mandaeism

The Mandaean faith has existed in Iraq since the reign of Artabanus V according to the Haran Gawaitha (secret wanderings) scroll of secondary Mandaean writ. This would make the Iraqi presence of Mandaeans at least 1,800 years old, making it the third oldest continually professed faith in Iraqi society after Zoroastrianism and Judaism. There are more Mandaeans in Iraq then there are Zoroastrians or Jews combined. In Iraq estimates of around 60,000 have been made, making the country second only to Iran in population numbers.^{[citation needed]} The oldest independent confirmation of Mandaean existence in the region is the Kartir inscription. The Mandaean faith is commonly known as the last surviving Gnostic faith and its adherents believe it to be the oldest faith on Earth, with at least some scholarly support for it being as old if not older then Christianity perhaps even being a major influence in the development of heterodox Jewish circles which eventually led to the formation of Christian beliefs, practices, rituals and theology. John the Baptist or Yahia Yuhanna is considered to have been the final Mandaean prophet and first true Ris'Amma, or Ethnarch, of the Mandaean people. Most Iraqi Mandaeans live near waterways because of the practice of total immersion (or baptism) in flowing water every Sunday. The highest concentrations are in the Mesene province with headquarters in Amarah, Qalat Saleh and Basra. Besides these southern regions bordering Kuzistan in Iran, large numbers of Mandaeans can be found in Baghdad in Dweller's Quarters of that city giving them easy access to the Tigris River. Mandaeanism is a pre-Christian religion which has been classified by scholars as Gnostic. ... Artabanus was the name of two noblemen of Persia: Artabanus was the younger brother of king Darius I of Persia, and satrap of Bactria in the early 5th century BC. He appears in the Histories of Herodotus of Halicarnassus. ... St. ...

Judaism

Judaism first came to Iraq under the rule of the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon. It was a part of the Babylonian Captivity. The once thriving Jewish community has survived through a series of bombings and local persecution. [1] The majority have fled, largely to Israel. Fewer than 100 Jews remain in Iraq. This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Monarch (disambiguation). ... Nebuchadnezzar (or Nebudchadrezzar) II (ca. ... For other uses, see Babylonian captivity (disambiguation). ...

Further information: History of the Jews in Iraq

This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism first came to Iraq when Babylon was conquered by the Persian Empire. Zoroastrianism in Iraq declined after the fall of the Sassanid Empire and very few, if any, Zoroastrians remain. Zoroastrianism is the religion and philosophy based on the teachings ascribed to the prophet Zoroaster (Zarathustra, Zartosht). ... For other uses, see Babylon (disambiguation). ... Persia redirects here. ... The Sassanid Empire or Sassanian Dynasty (Persian: []) is the name used for the third Iranian dynasty and the second Persian Empire (226–651). ...

Shabaks

Some members of the Shabak people practice a badly known syncretic religion. The Shabak people are a minority group of Iraq who live in the province of Nineveh. ... Syncretism is the attempt to reconcile disparate, even opposing, beliefs and to meld practices of various schools of thought. ...

Religious conflict

Conflict between Shi'a and Sunni Muslims in Iraq has turned into riots, tit-for-tat bombings, and violence throughout Iraq. Tit for tat is a highly effective strategy in game theory for the iterated prisoners dilemma. ...

Further information: Sectarian violence in Iraq

Following the Coalition-led invasion and war of Iraq, there has been an increased level of sectarian violence in Iraq. ...

References

See also

• Islam in Iraq
• Demographics of Iraq