The Christian presence in Iraq represents one of the oldest religious and cultural components in the Middle East, with roots tracing back to the earliest centuries of Christianity in Mesopotamia. However, this historic presence has faced profound challenges in recent decades that have significantly affected its continuity and social role.

So the marginalization of Christians in Iraq is linked to a complex set of political, security, and social factors that emerged following Iraq’s transformation after 2003.

Collapse of Centralized State Authority and the Rise of Subnational Identities:

This analytical perspective argues that the collapse of Iraqi state institutions following 2003 created a political and security vacuum that allowed sectarian and ethnic identities to rise at the expense of a unified national identity. In the absence of strong state authority, religious minorities, including Christians, became increasingly vulnerable to security threats and social pressure.

According to this interpretation, the political system established after the regime change relied heavily on sectarian power-sharing arrangements, leaving smaller minorities outside the sphere of meaningful political influence. Consequently, Christian representation within state institutions remained limited and often insufficient to safeguard their interests or ensure effective........

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