Assyrians in Iraq
The Assyrians in Iraq make up the majority of the Christian population in Iraq .
The Assyrians in Iraq are also known as Chaldeans , Arameans or Syrian Christians , the name in the Aramaic language is Suryoye . The majority of them speak the Syriac language , (an Aramaic dialect), and Arabic . You belong to at least 5 different Syrian churches and denominations; the largest Syrian Church in Iraq is the Chaldean Catholic Church , followed by the Syrian Orthodox Church , the Syrian Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East .
In recent years, many Christians have left the country due to religious persecution by Muslim extremists. The number of Assyrians in Iraq has fallen sharply, while the diaspora community, especially in the US and Europe , continues to grow.
Situation of the Assyrians
In most of Iraq, Christians can hardly feel safe anymore. Their situation is bearable only in the northern provinces, where they represent a majority in the Nineveh plain . Most of them live in the big cities like Baghdad , Mosul and traditionally in their towns and villages in the Nineveh Plain.
Iraq has become a difficult homeland for Christians; time and again they find themselves caught between the lines of Shiites and Sunnis . According to estimates by the CIA World Fact Book, the proportion of Christians was only 0.8% in mid-2015. Since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003 it has decreased by 50%, although there have been resettlements in northern Iraq. For some years now, Christian Iraqis have increasingly been the target of Islamist terrorists; hundreds of them leave Iraq every day for Syria or Jordan .
Demand for autonomy
To prevent further Christian depopulation of Iraq, the Christians in the north of the country are demanding autonomy in the Nineveh Plain. The cities and villages of the Nineveh Plain are defended and monitored by Christian Assyrian / Aramaic militias and soldiers, such as the "Qaraqosh Protection Committee".