Persecuted Christians in Iraq: What’s Happening Now

PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ: WHAT’S HAPPENING NOW

Iraq was once home to one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, tracing back nearly two thousand years. Today, persecuted Christians in Iraq face a very different reality, shaped by decades of war and the devastating rise of ISIS across the Nineveh Plain.

When ISIS entered towns like Qaraqosh in August 2014, families had to flee overnight, often with nothing more than what they could carry. An estimated 60,000 Christians fled from Qaraqosh alone to Erbil, in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, seeking safety from the militant group. Many of those families have never been able to return home; destroyed houses, lost livelihoods, and lingering insecurity mean that displacement is often not temporary but a years-long, sometimes permanent, reality.

Indigenous Ministries has worked in Iraq since 2004, partnering with local churches, and has provided aid and relief to thousands fleeing ISIS since 2014, helping families resettle in their communities on the Nineveh Plain when possible. Our all-local Iraq teams are registered as an NGO in Kurdistan, and many of our staff are former refugees themselves, giving them a firsthand understanding of what these families have endured.

Today, our Child Sponsorship Program serves over 800 children in the region, including Iraqi and Syrian refugees, Kurds, and Yazidis, alongside Egyptian and Sudanese families served through our other programs. Beyond immediate relief, Indigenous Ministries also launched Middle East Theological College in Erbil in October 2022, the only fully accredited college of its kind in Iraq, training nationals from across the region, Iraq, Syria, Jordan, and beyond, for pastoral and theological ministry within their own communities.

For persecuted Christians in Iraq, the need is rarely a single crisis with a clear end date. It’s ongoing: food, shelter, medical care, and the slow work of rebuilding a life and a faith community after everything has been lost.

To learn more about how displaced families in Iraq are supported through consistent, local care, visit our Child Sponsorship Program page.