ICC Note: 
Many of Iraq’s Christians had fled to the Northern Iraq region that is governed by a regional Kurdish government. The area for many was viewed as the best chance at a safe and stable region for Christians to live in community. Many have not found the region to be a refugee, as a host of reasons have led to the further emigration of Christians out of Iraq altogether. It has not only been violence, but the lack of jobs, difficulties of transitioning to a rural lifestyle, culture and language differences, are all factors affecting the displaced Christian community.
8/14/2013 Iraq (Al-Monitor) – Many Christian leaders and activists, as well as Kurdish and Arab leaders, once believed that Iraqi Kurdistan would serve as a temporary safe haven for Christians. Christians could reside there until Iraq’s political and security situations stabilize.
According to reports, the number of Christian families who fled to cities in Iraqi Kurdistan and the Ninevah Plains is estimated at more than 65,000. These people, including civil rights activist Sadi Kiryakos, were correct in their assessment — Kurdistan was in fact a safe haven for Christians, but it was only seen as a “last stop” before the final migration out of Iraq.
Christians living in Iraqi Kurdistan do not usually confronts risks such as kidnapping or murder. They do not often fall victim to car bombs and improvised explosive devices. The most serious risk they face is traffic accidents, according to Kiryakos. Still, emigration via Iraqi Kurdistan is ongoing, sometimes accelerating or decelerating, but “it never stops.”
Violence is not always the cause behind emigration
This means, according to Rev. Peter Hajji, that violence was by no means the reason behind the exodus of Christians from Iraqi Kurdistan out of Iraq.
Hajji believes that Christians who come from communities like Baghdad and Ninevah that are relatively open and mixed find themselves forced to live in a conservative tribal society. According to Hajji, this has triggered a “sense of alienation” among Christians who face difficulties adapting to a society whose language they do not even understand.
According to the Christian researcher Fabien Naoum, migration is also triggered by problems such as the employment system, which grants jobs to Kurds before other minorities, and cultural problems related to language and lifestyle.
Naoum says that the violence in Zakho and Dahuk in 2011 that impacted the Christians is the main cause behind migration from Iraqi Kurdistan. According to him, this violence was a natural consequence of rising religious extremism in the Kurdish community. This community produced one of the first militant organizations in Iraq, Ansar al-Islam, which preceded al-Qaeda’s violent attacks in Iraq.
Naoum recalls that Christian families used to consider Iraqi Kurdistan an ideal place to live. This, however, is no longer the case following the events of Zakho, which resulted in a local struggle between Kurdish parties and eventually led to operations that targeted Christians.
Pascal Wardeh, a former minister in the central government, mentions another factor: lack of interest in finding a haven for all those targeted Christians.
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