According to the 2018 CIA Factbook, Iraq is 97% Muslim: 60-65% Shia and Traditional beliefs     Animism: the belief that non-human entities contain souls or spirits. Capital Baghdad Population (2010) 31,670,000 Annual population growth rate (2000-2010) 2.9% Population gain (2000-2010) 7,814,000 GDP per capita $1,314 (US) Literacy Iraq is home to several of the most important sites for Shi'ism. The goal of religious life is to learn to act so as to finally achieve liberation (moksha) of one's soul, escaping the rebirth cycle. How do they differ from Muslims? Judaism - One of the first known monotheistic religions, likely dating to between 2000-1500 B.C., Judaism is the native faith of the Jewish people, based upon the belief in a covenant of responsibility between a sole omnipotent creator God and Abraham, the patriarch of Judaism's Hebrew Bible, or Tanakh. A Sunni Muslim may elect to follow any one of these schools, as all are considered equally valid. Historians and researchers disagree on their classification, as mystery and secrecy shroud this sect. The Kurds and Turkmen are predominantly Sunni Muslims, but Iran’s Arabs are both Sunni and Shiʿi. Our funeral rituals are different from those of Muslims. It is primarily a form of polytheistic shamanism, but includes elements of animism and ancestor worship.

This is why they coexist in harmony with their neighbors and do not have the dual religious identity problem. Photo by REUTERS/Youssef Boudlal. In an interview with Al-Monitor, Ako Shawais, the first political representative of Iraq’s Kakai minority, discusses why this sect is so secretive and its careful struggle for political and religious rights. Baha'i - Founded by Mirza Husayn-Ali (known as Baha'u'llah) in Iran in 1852, Baha'i faith emphasizes monotheism and believes in one eternal transcendent God. Although they're supposed to be holy places, Kakai places of worship may be an ordinary house, so as not to attract attention.
Small communities of Christians, Jews, and Zoroastrians are also found throughout the country. [14], There are no accurate numbers on the population of Zoroastrians in Iraq because they are listed as "Muslims" on their government-issued documents.[15]. L'Irak abrite des lieux saints importants pour les chiites ou pour les sunnites. Badimo: a form of ancestor worship of the Tswana people of Botswana. Latest Religion News.

Definition: This entry is an ordered listing of religions by adherents starting with the largest group and sometimes includes the percent of total population. It was a part of the Babylonian Captivity. Mandaeism Of the Mandean religion, which counted 30,000 adherents in Iraq before the US/British-Iraq War started in 2003, many have fled Iraq, as they were a group that benefitted greatly from the protection of the regime of Saddam Hussein. Kakais have kept their beliefs hidden, and this secrecy has prevented them from forming their own independent political parties and gaining representation in the parliaments of the central Iraqi government and Kurdistan Region. Smaller sects of Islam exist in the country, such as the small Shia Shaykhist community concentrated in Basra and Karbala.


Adherents simultaneously worship Jesus Christ and Palauan goddesses. The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shia Islamic world and it is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. Religion. Kakais ethnically associate themselves with Kurds, but a group of them proclaims that the Kakais are a distinct community and demands political representation. © 2020 Al-Monitor, LLC. Shawais:  Kakaism is a monotheistic religion, but it is not related to Islam. Divine revelation of principles and prohibitions in the Hebrew Scriptures form the basis of Jewish law, or halakhah, which is a key component of the faith. This is true. Al-Monitor:  Do you think Kakais are not Muslims? There are multiple other similarities between Yazidis of Iraq and Vedic Religion followers like : Yazidis marry only within their castes (total 4 castes like original hindus) and follow gotra system in a different terminology. teachings of Siddhartha Gautama (also known as Gautama Buddha "the enlightened one").

Shawais:  On June 1, 2015, the Halabja governor and his two deputies took office.