Christians
2 articles filed under this keyword.
The Status of Christians in the Mosul Province Under the Policies of the Ottoman State (1879–1900 AD)
Luqman Mohammedamin Babakr, Dara Tawfeeq Kaka Amin
This study discusses the status and conditions of the Christian communities in the Mosul Province during the Ottoman era, specifically between the years 1879 and 1900. Focusing on the non-Muslim religious components of the province, particularly Christians, the research highlights their importance and unique position. The key factors behind this importance include the province’s strategically significant geographical location and the interest shown by European countries in Christians as political, religious, economic, and military allies. These dynamics greatly influenced the Ottoman authorities’ policies and perceptions toward this group. The study draws from sources that indicate Christians held notable roles in administration, education, healthcare, and religious services within the province. Their presence and contributions were shaped by Ottoman policies that, while granting certain rights and privileges (such as exemption from military service), also subjected them to various restrictions and inequalities. Compared to other non-Muslim groups in the province, Christians often enjoyed more privileges, yet they also frequently faced injustice and oppression from officials and the state. This research specifically sheds light on a distinct period in Ottoman policy toward Christians in Mosul, addressing questions such as: To what extent were Christians respected as an internal community of the state? What was their lifestyle like during this period? How integrated were they into the state’s administrative institutions? And how did international developments influence the Ottoman Empire’s treatment of Christians? These and other questions form the core objectives of the study.
Volume 7 · Issue 3 · August 2020Christians in the Nineveh Plains: Focusing on Possible Self-Governance for Minorities
Zaianddin Mawlood Khidhir, Rostovanyi Zsolt, Zubir Rasool Ahmed
A deeply complicated situation characterizes Mesopotamia and its neighborhood, with a lasting solution to the fate of minorities in the region yet to be comprehended. In this secondary study, the central purpose is to investigate issues and the fate of Christians in the Nineveh Plains, ranging from their dream for self-governance to the displaced nightmare. Particularly, the study seeks to gain insight into prospects of self-governance for minorities, shedding light on some of the platforms that the affected communities could exploit to realize this dream, as well as major hurdles that they might encounter. The study’s specific objectives include the examination of the current degree of success in Iraqi minorities’ quest for self-governance, some of the challenges facing the community, and some of the feasible solutions that are worth embracing. From the findings, some of the challenges facing Iraqi minorities’ quest for self-governance are seen to include the KRG harassment and land seizures and the labelling of Yazidis as Kurds due to political factors, translating into irritation. Another hurdle is that Peshmerga soldiers are an unpredictable threat, especially after they abandoned Yazidi and Christian villages during the onslaught by ISIS. Therefore, self-governance and self-determination are the key factors that would necessitate chances of Iraqi minorities’ survival, but the reconciliation process requires interventions by international organizations such as those in the West, with the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) unexceptional.