Religion and Ethnicity

An estimated 78 percent of Iraq's people are classified as "Iraqi Arabs," which means that they speak the Arabic language and share a common Arab culture. Ninety-seven percent of Iraqi

Arabs are Muslims—followers of the Islamic religion. Almost two-thirds of the Arab Muslims are Shiites; the other third are Sunni Muslims. Shiites believe that there were twelve caliphs, or designated leaders after the Prophet Muhammad's death. They reject the Sunni interpretations of the Koran. Shiites tend to be poor and located in the countryside. They strongly resent their lack of political and economic power.

During Iraq's war with Iran, the Iraqi government treated Shiites as potential sympathizers with Iran because Iran had a Shiite government. About 500,000 Iraqi Shiites were deported between 1980 and 1988.

Iraqi Kurds, the country's only large non-Arab minority, constitute about 17 percent of the total population. Mostly Sunni Muslims, the Kurds speak their own language, which is related to Persian. Having lived in mountainous parts of southwestern Asia for at least 3,000 years, they have a reputation for toughness and devotion to their religion, families, and tribes.

In all, it is estimated that there are more than 20 million Kurds in southwestern Asia; most of them are in Iraq. In 1920 the Kurds were promised their own Kurdish state by the Treaty of Svres. Based on a strong sense of national identity, they continue to wish for an independent Kurdistan. Following the old principle of "the enemy of my enemy is my friend," the governments of Iraq, Iran, and Turkey have sometimes cooperated with each other in efforts to suppress Kurdish nationalism within their own borders.

Small groups of other minorities are scattered throughout Iraq. Turkmen make up about 2 percent of the population; Iranians account for 1 percent. A combination of Assyrians, Yazidis, Lurs, and Armenians account for another 2 percent. Before the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948, Iraq also had a Jewish population of about 150,000 persons. Since then, forced emigrations have reduced their numbers to less than nine thousand. Smaller minorities usually try to remain inconspicuous. They are usually tolerated if they do not oppose official policies.