Kurdistan marks diversity with 6K+ religious sites
Shafaq News- Erbil
The Kurdistan Region of Iraq is home to eight officially recognized religions and sects and more than 6,800 religious sites, according to the Media and Information Department of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).
The Region's population includes Turkmens, Chaldean Syriac Assyrians, Armenians, and other ethnic groups, alongside Muslims, Christians, Yazidis, Sabean Mandaeans, Kakais, and other religious communities. These groups have participated in political life and public institutions since the establishment of the Kurdistan Region, with the current ninth cabinet including two ministers representing minority groups, while dedicated ministries oversee minority affairs and religious endowments.
In the education sector, 19 Turkmen-language schools serve 1,995 students, while 50 Syriac-language schools educate 6,690 others. Thousands more receive instruction in Turkmen and Syriac alongside Kurdish-language education.
Kurdistan contains 6,224 mosques, 273 churches and Christian religious sites, and 325 Yazidi shrines, temples, and religious landmarks. It also hosts 36 non-governmental organizations “focused on coexistence, cultural preservation, and the protection of social diversity.”
The data also highlighted the Region's response to the 2014 ISIS offensive, during which it received tens of thousands of displaced Christians and Yazidis fleeing violence. Authorities have since undertaken efforts to restore religious sites and support affected communities.
Read more: Iraqi Kurdistan’s pluralism: A living model of coexistence
