Ajam of Iraq

Ajam of Iraq or Persians of Iraq are Iraqi citizens of Persian background or descent. Persians have had a long presence in Iraq, dating back to antiquity.

Iraqi Ajam
Total population
over 1,000,000 until Saddam’s Regime, ≈500,000 today
Regions with significant populations
Karbalā', Najaf, Baṣrah, Dhi Qar, Qadisiyyah, Kut, Amarah
Religion
Shiʿa Islam[1]
Related ethnic groups
Ajam of Kuwait, Ajam of Bahrain

History

In the 1970s, Saddam Hussein exiled between 350,000[2][3] to 650,000 Shia Iraqis of Iranian ancestry (Ajam).[4] Most of them went to Iran. Those who could prove an Iranian/Persian ancestry in Iran's court received Iranian citizenship (400,000) and most of them returned to Iraq immediately after Saddam.[4] The population of Persian Iraqis currently is close to 500,000 (not including Iranians in Iraq).

Culture

Most Persians Iraqis belong to Twelver Shīʿa Islam, the same religion that most Iraqis belong to. However, a significant portion of them are of Sayyid Iranian heritage of Arab origin which were moved to Iran under the Safavids and returned to Arab lands after the fall of the Safavids. Some even being descended from the al-Musawi clan.

See also

References
  1. Pahlavan, Demographic Movements in the Region, p. 147.
  2. Iranica Online
  3. U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI)
  4. "Hamshahri Newspaper (In Persian)". hamshahri.org. Retrieved 12 November 2014.
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