ICC Note:  Several statistics show the level of persecution Christians face in Iraq and nearby areas. Extremist groups have declared on several occasions that one of their main objectives is to eradicate Christianity. Christians in Iraq live in constant fear, but remain faithful and strong because they understand their call.

4/4/2018 Iraq (Church Militant) – Iraq, an epicenter of persecution, has bled itself of Christians for the past 15 years.

On Monday, the Iraqi Human Rights Society (IHRS) issued a report outlining the magnitude of their suffering.

Since the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003, the once-flourishing community has been decimated, with 81 percent of its population (roughly 1.2 million people) either dead or in exile.

The IHRS report echoes a landmark 2017 study by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “Persecuted and Forgotten?” that revealed the Christian population “showed a decline from 275,000 in mid-2015 to below 200,000 two years later and possibly as few as 150,000.”

In the past year, 37,000 Christians have returned to home to the Ninevah Plains, but this is still not enough to stabilize their presence in the country.

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