Vanishing faith: the exodus of Iraq’s Christians

Amid growing intolerance and persecution, the Christian population in Iraq is declining rapidly. Urgent prayer is needed for this community, who have been present in the region for almost 2,000 years

Over the last few months, hundreds of Christians have packed their possessions and left their homes in Iraq. This latest exodus adds to the hundreds of thousands of Christians who have abandoned their country in the past decades. It’s not something that any of them do lightly, but many feel they have no choice.

Although over 97 per cent of Iraq’s population are Muslim, there has been a Christian community there since the first century – it is widely believed that the first Christian community was founded by the Apostle Thomas.