Alqosh is a city of approximately 15,000 inhabitants, located in northern Iraq, 45 kilometers from Mosul, on the border with Iraqi Kurdistan. It is in the Nineveh Plains administrative region. It is a center of Christianity, particularly for Assyrian Chaldeans (non-Catholics), some of whom joined the Chaldean Catholic Church in Rome in the 19th century.

The number of Christians in Iraq had already declined sharply after the 2003 American invasion, but it has decreased considerably in recent years due to pressure from Shiite militias, targeted expulsions, and emigration, laments Alqosh Mayor Lara Youssif Zara. She is the first Christian to hold this position in this predominantly Shiite country.

A "Targeted Strategy" to Drive out Christians

These armed militias demand shares in businesses and bribes from Christian merchants, said Lara Youssif Zara. "They are destroying lives. Many Christians have lost all hope. They just want to leave," she continued. "In reality, it's about money and control," added the Chaldean Catholic.

"Those who pay can stay. Those who refuse lose everything." This blackmail is part of the system. Ultimately, she asserts, these militias are pursuing a "targeted strategy to drive Christians out of the region."

The Militias Control Many Areas

According to the 43-year-old woman, Shiites took control of many areas after the fall of ISIS. "They dominate local councils, government offices, and security structures." Their representatives sit on municipal councils and make decisions that deliberately disadvantage Christians," in order to weaken the once strong Christian presence in the Nineveh Plain.

Lara Youssif Zara believes that the last Christians will leave Iraq if the situation does not improve. According to her information, there are already only 200,000 to 300,000 left in this Middle Eastern country. Estimates suggest that there were as many as 1.5 million before the start of the US-led Iraq War in 2003 and the ensuing turmoil.

"If we disappear, a part of world history will disappear, and a part of humanity with us!", she declares. The mayor of Alqosh would like the international community to offer more protection and put more pressure on Baghdad. "We need international observers during the elections, political support, and humanitarian aid."

Parliamentary Elections on November 11

Parliamentary elections in Iraq were held on November 11. More than 7,000 candidates were vying for the 329 parliamentary seats, elected by 21 million Iraqis. In 2024, the Supreme Court reduced the number of seats reserved for the Christian minority in the Kurdistan Regional Parliament from six to three.

Unlike the United States, Europe has not yet grasped that the survival of an entire religious community is at stake, asserts the Iraqi politician. Only five of the nineteen provinces are officially home to Christians, according to the interfaith Christian organization Open Doors, which estimates that there are currently only 154,000 Christians left in Iraq.

The Constitution establishes Islam as the state religion. Under Islamic law, Muslims cannot change their religion, and Muslim women cannot marry non-Muslims. More than 120 Christian places of worship have been destroyed since 2012.