Iraqi Australians

Ethnic group

Iraqi Australians

أستراليون عراقيون

Total population
57,859 (by ancestry, 2021)[1]
(0.2% of the Australian population)[1]
92,922 (by birth, 2021)[1]
Regions with significant populations
Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane
Languages
Mesopotamian Arabic and Australian English
also Kurdish (Sorani, Feyli and Kurmanji dialects), Turkish (Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman dialects), and Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, and Mandaic)
Religion
Catholicism (39.4%), Islam (25.4%), Others (10.8%) Assyrian Apostolic (8.7%),  Other Christianity (5.7%)[2]
Related ethnic groups
Iraqi Americans, Assyrian Australians, Syrian Australians, Iraqi diaspora

Iraqi Australians (Arabic: أستراليون عراقيون) are Australian citizens who identify themselves to be Iraqi descent. Since the 1991 Gulf War, thousands of Iraqis have found refuge in Australia. The total of population is estimated to be as high as 95,000.[3] A Considerable part of Australia's Iraqi-born population doesn't claim Iraqi ancestry with most being Assyrian.

The first year in which the Australian Census of Population and Housing recorded the Iraq-born separately was 1976, when the population was 2,273. By 1986, the population had risen to 4,516. By the end of the Gulf War in 1991, it numbered 5,186, mainly in New South Wales and Victoria.

Many recent arrivals have entered Australia under the Humanitarian programme. The Gulf War and the quelling of uprisings of the Shi'a and the Kurds in Iraq resulted in a large increase in the number of Iraqis coming to Australia after 1991.

## History

[edit]

The number of permanent settlers arriving in Australia from Iraq since 1991 (monthly) People born in Iraq as a percentage of the population in Sydney divided geographically by postal area, as of the 2011 census

Iraqi-born Victorians were first identified in the Victorian census in 1976, when 189 people were recorded. Within five years the community had almost tripled to 408, and by 1991 had increased to 603. Most Iraqis had escaped hardships caused by the eight-year Iran–Iraq War, which ended in 1988.[4]

The outbreak of the Gulf War in 1991 led a large number of people to flee Iraq into the neighbouring countries. Some refugees lived in processing camps for up to five years before being accepted into Australia under the Special Humanitarian Program. During this period the visas of around 400 Iraqis living in Australia were extended until the end of the Gulf War.

Iraqi immigration to Australia peaked between 1992 and 1995, with the Iraq-born population in Victoria increasing to 3,492 by 1996.[4] By 2001 this community had increased a further 74% to 6,091 people.[4] Most recent Iraqi immigrants have arrived under the Family and Skilled Migration categories. Some Iraqis have sought refugee status after arrival in Australia, and have been detained pending processing.

Today the Iraq-born community in Australia is culturally diverse, with settlers from many ethnic and cultural backgrounds including Arabs, Assyrians, Kurds, Turkomans, and Mandaeans. Although Islam is the dominant religion in Iraq, only 29% of the Iraq-born immigrants living in Victoria are Muslim; 68% are Christian and who are mostly Assyrian.

Nearly half of the Iraqi community speaks Arabic at home; only 3% speaks English, reflecting the number of recent immigrants in the community. Over half of Iraq-born Victorians are aged under 35, and only 12% are aged over fifty. Of those in the workforce, both men and women are most commonly employed as labourers and related workers within the manufacturing industry, while nearly a quarter are employed in professional positions. The community is supported by organisations such as the Australian Iraqi Forum several religious or cultural associations.

## Iraqi Australians

[edit]

* Oren Ambarchi, an Iraqi Jewish musician
* Mari Emmanuel, Christian priest
* Faisal Faisal, athlete
* Don Hany (born 1975), actor (known for his role as Theo Rahme in White Collar Blue)
* Ali Abbas Al-Hilfi, footballer born in Iraq who plays for Newcastle Jets
* Toba Khedoori, artist
* Ninos Khoshaba, Assyrian politician and former member of Parliament in New South Wales
* Brikha Nasoraia, Mandaean priest and professor
* Andrew Rohan, Member of the New South Wales legislative Assembly representing the district of Fairfield
* Osamah Sami, actor
* Mario Shabow, Assyrian football player for the Central Coast Mariners FC in the Hyundai A-League
* Mohamed Al-Taay, football player for the Wellington Phoenix in the Hyundai A-League

## See also

[edit]

* Australia portal
* Iraq portal

* Arab diaspora
* Assyrian Australians
* Mandaean Australians
* Lebanese Australians
* Syrian Australians
* Iranian Australians
* Kurdish Australians
* Turkish Australians

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Community profile 2021 abs.gov.au
2. ^ "2021 People in Australia who were born in Iraq, Census Country of birth QuickStats | Australian Bureau of Statistics".
3. ^ "Fear checks turnout for Iraq poll". 22 January 2005.
4. ^ a b c "Immigration from Iraq". immigration.museum.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original on 31 August 2007. Retrieved 14 August 2007.

## External links

[edit]

* Arab Council Australia
* Arabic Broadcasting Service Australia
* Australian Arabic Entertainment Directory
* Australia Arab Chamber of Commerce and Industry
* Australian Arabic Council
* The Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR)
* Fadi Jabbori, Liverpool Champion
* Fadi Jabbori
* Australian Iraqi forum

* v
* t
* e

Iraqi diaspora

Americas|

* Brazil
* Canada
* United States
* Detroit

Asia|

| Middle East|

* Iran
* Israel
* Jordan
* Lebanon
* Saudi Arabia
* Syria
* Turkey
* United Arab Emirates

|

South Asia|

* India
* Baghdadi Jews

Europe|

* Denmark
* Finland
* Germany
* Greece
* Netherlands
* Norway
* Sweden
* United Kingdom

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

* v
* t
* e

Arab diaspora

Africa|

* Ghana
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Senegal
* Sierra Leone

Asia|

* Afghanistan
* Afghan Arabs
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Khorasan
* Khuzestan
* Japan
* Malaysia
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Turkey
* Caucasus

Europe|

| North|

* Denmark
* Finland
* Sweden
* United Kingdom

|

Southeast|

* Bulgaria
* Dobruja
* Romania
* Serbia

South|

* Greece
* Italy
* Malta
* Spain

West|

* Austria
* Belgium
* France
* Beur
* Paris
* Germany
* Berlin
* Netherlands
* Switzerland

North America|

* Canada
* Cuba
* El Salvador
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Mexico
* United States
* Detroit

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

South America|

* Argentina
* Brazil
* Chile
* Colombia
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* Paraguay
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

* v
* t
* e

North African and Middle Eastern Australians

Arab|

* Algerian
* Egyptian
* Iraqi
* Jordanian
* Kuwaiti
* Lebanese
* Libyan
* Palestinian
* Saudi Arabian
* Syrian
* Emirati

Jewish|

* Israeli

Peoples of the Sudan|

* South Sudanese
* Sudanese

Other|

* Coptic
* Iranian
* Kurdish
* Turkish
* Assyrian
* Mandaean

Topics|

* Antisemitism
* Anti-Arabism
* Anti–Middle Eastern sentiment
* Islamophobia
* Organized crime

* North African diaspora
* West Asian diaspora

* v
* t
* e

Overseas Asians and Asian diasporas

By origin
in Asia

| Central|

* Kazakh
* Mongolians
* Uzbeks

|

East|

* Chinese
* Japanese
* Koreans
* Ryukyuans
* Taiwanese

South|

| Country|

* Afghans
* Bangladeshis
* Indians
* Maldivians
* Nepalis
* Pakistanis
* Sri Lankans
* Tibetans

|

Ethnicity|

* Baloch
* Bengali Hindu
* Gujaratis
* Odia
* Kashmiri
* Mirpuri
* Mizos
* Pashtuns
* Punjabis
* Roma
* Saraikis
* Sikhs
* Sindhis
* South Indians
* Malayalis
* In the Gulf
* Tamils
* Sri Lankan Tamils
* Telugus

Southeast|

| Country|

* Indonesians
* Malaysians
* Singaporeans

|

Ethnicity|

* Acehnese
* Burmese
* Filipinos
* Hmong
* Javanese
* Laotians
* Malays
* Minangkabau
* Moluccans
* Thais
* Vietnamese

West|

* Arabs
* Emirati
* Iraqi
* Lebanese
* Palestinian
* Syrian
* Yemeni
* Armenian
* Assyrians
* Azerbaijani
* Iranian
* Israeli (Jews)
* Kurds
* Turkish

residence|

| Africa|

* Nigeria
* South Africa

|

Americas|

* Canada
* East Asians
* South Asians
* Southeast Asians
* West Asians
* Latin America
* Argentina
* Brazil
* Colombia
* Mexico
* Peru
* Caribbean
* Chinese
* Dougla
* Indian
* Marabou
* Suriname
* Indian
* Javanese
* Chinese
* United States
* Central Asians
* Hispanic and Latino
* East Asians
* South Asians
* Southeast Asians

Europe|

* France
* Germany
* Netherlands
* South Asians
* Sweden
* United Kingdom
* Central Asians
* East Asians
* South Asians
* Southeast Asians

Oceania|

* Australia
* New Zealand

* v
* t
* e

Ancestry of Australians

Ancestral background of Australian citizens

Indigenous|

* Aboriginal Australians
* Torres Strait Islanders

Africa|

* Angolan
* Beninese
* Burundian
* Cameroonian
* Congolese
* Eritrean
* Ethiopian
* Gabonese
* Gambian
* Ghanaian
* Guinean
* Ivorian
* Kenyan
* Liberian
* Malawian
* Malian
* Mauritian
* Nigerian
* Rwandan
* Senegalese
* Sierra Leonean
* South African
* Tanzanian
* Togolese
* Ugandan
* Zambian
* Zimbabwean

Americas|

* American
* Canadian
* Caribbean and West Indian Australian
* Hispanic and Latin American
* Argentine
* Bolivian
* Brazilian
* Chilean
* Colombian
* Cuban
* Ecuadorian
* Guatemalan
* Honduran
* Mexican
* Panamanian
* Paraguayan
* Peruvian
* Puerto Rican
* Salvadoran
* Uruguayan
* Venezuelan
* Jamaican
* Trinidadian and Tobagonian

Asia|

* Afghan
* Hazara
* Pashtun
* Armenian
* Azerbaijani
* Bangladeshi
* Bengali
* Bhutanese
* Burmese
* Chin
* Karen
* Mon
* Cambodian
* Chinese
* Hmong
* Hong Kong
* Cantonese
* Mien
* Taiwanese
* Hakka
* Fuzhou/Hokchiu
* Hoklo
* Tibetan
* Uyghur
* East Timorese
* Filipino
* Georgian
* Indian
* Bengali
* Gujarati
* Indo-Fijian
* Malayali
* Punjabi
* Sindhi
* Tamil
* Telugu
* Indonesian
* Acehnese
* Balinese
* Javanese
* Madurese
* Sundanese
* Japanese
* Kazakh
* Korean
* Kyrgyz
* Laotian
* Malaysian
* Bruneian
* Kadazan
* Temoq
* Maldivian
* Mongolian
* Nepali
* Pakistani
* Baloch
* Hazara
* Pashtun
* Punjabi
* Sindhi
* Pathan
* Singaporean
* Sri Lankan
* Tamil
* Tajik
* Tatar
* Thai
* Turkmen
* Uzbek
* Vietnamese
* Hmong
* Mien

Europe|

* Albanian
* Anglo-Celtic
* Cornish
* English
* Irish
* Northern Irish
* Scottish
* Welsh
* Austrian
* Belgian
* Belarusian
* Bosnian
* Bulgarian
* Croatian
* Cypriot
* Czech
* Danish
* Dutch
* Estonian
* French
* Finnish
* German
* Greek
* Hungarian
* Icelandic
* Italian
* Latvian
* Lithuanian
* Macedonian
* Maltese
* Montenegrin
* Norwegian
* Polish
* Portuguese
* Romani
* Romanian
* Russian
* Serbian
* Slovak
* Slovene
* Spanish
* Swedish
* Swiss
* Ukrainian

Middle East
and
North Africa|

* Arab
* Algerian
* Bahraini
* Egyptian
* Emirati
* Iraqi
* Jordanian
* Kuwaiti
* Lebanese
* Libyan
* Moroccan
* Palestinian
* Saudi
* Somali
* Syrian
* Tunisian
* Assyrian
* Bari
* Berber
* Coptic
* Darfur
* Dinka
* Iranian
* Israeli/Jewish
* Kurdish
* Mandaean
* Nubian
* Nuer
* South Sudanese
* Sudanese
* Turkish
* Yezidi

Oceania|

* Fijian
* Indo-Fijian
* Niuean
* Ni-Vanuatu
* New Zealander
* Māori
* Papua New Guinean
* Samoan
* South Sea Islander
* Tongan

according to Reflecting a Nation: Stories from the 2011 Census, 2012–2013 and Census of Population and Housing: Reflecting Australia - Stories from the Census, 2016

Portals:

* Iraq
* Australia

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