Overview:

• The state religion is Islam.

• There exists no official recognition for belief systems and their related communities in Iraq.

• Although various religious communities are recognised in the law, all groups are subject to severe restrictions on their religious activity, particularly non-Muslim groups.

• A nationwide ban on the Baha’i Faith is particularly terminal in its application.

• The attribution of offices (diwans) in dealing with their respective denominations does not cover all recognised denominations such as Jews.

• The repression experienced under the ISIS occupation of parts of Iraq still reverberates although the situation has improved since.

Iraqi Kurdistan:

• There does exist an established recognition system through the Kurdistan Regional Government but it imposes a membership quota and its requirement for a religion not to be “anti-Islam” is hardly practicable for any religion that is not Islamic.

Positive elements:

• Nil.

Recommendations:

• Complete dismantlement of the abuse of recognition is essential to making any further headway to attaining genuine religious freedom in Iraq; this means halting the persecution of minorities, establishing a recognition system that has provisions for both existential recognition and legal registration and the disestablishment of Islam.