Islam in Iraq

Analysis of Iraq's post-war legacy

See also: Shia Islam in Iraq and Sunni Islam in Iraq

Islam by country

World percentage of Muslims by country

Africa

* Algeria
* Angola
* Benin
* Botswana
* Burkina Faso
* Burundi
* Cameroon
* Cape Verde
* Central African Republic
* Chad
* Comoros
* Democratic Republic of the Congo
* Republic of the Congo
* Djibouti
* Egypt
* Equatorial Guinea
* Eritrea
* Eswatini
* Ethiopia
* Gabon
* Gambia
* Ghana
* Guinea
* Guinea-Bissau
* Ivory Coast
* Kenya
* Lesotho
* Liberia
* Libya
* Madagascar
* Malawi
* Mali
* Mauritania
* Mauritius
* Mayotte
* Morocco
* Western Sahara
* Mozambique
* Namibia
* Niger
* Nigeria
* Réunion
* Rwanda
* São Tomé and Príncipe
* Senegal
* Seychelles
* Sierra Leone
* Somalia
* South Africa
* South Sudan
* Sudan
* Tanzania
* Togo
* Tunisia
* Uganda
* Zambia
* Zimbabwe

Asia

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Georgia
* Hong Kong
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* Korea
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Macau
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Palestine
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Taiwan
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

Americas

* Antigua and Barbuda
* Argentina
* Bahamas
* Barbados
* Belize
* Bolivia
* Brazil
* Canada
* Chile
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Cuba
* Dominica
* Dominican Republic
* Ecuador
* El Salvador
* French Guiana
* Grenada
* Guatemala
* Guyana
* Haiti
* Honduras
* Jamaica
* Mexico
* Nicaragua
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Saint Kitts and Nevis
* Saint Lucia
* Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
* Suriname
* Trinidad and Tobago
* United States
* Uruguay
* Venezuela

Europe

* Albania
* Andorra
* Austria
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Bulgaria
* Croatia
* Czechia
* Denmark
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* Germany
* Greece
* Hungary
* Iceland
* Ireland
* Italy
* Kosovo
* Latvia
* Liechtenstein
* Lithuania
* Luxembourg
* Malta
* Moldova
* Monaco
* Montenegro
* Netherlands
* North Macedonia
* Norway
* Poland
* Portugal
* Romania
* Russia
* Tatarstan
* San Marino
* Serbia
* Slovakia
* Slovenia
* Spain
* Sweden
* Switzerland
* Ukraine
* United Kingdom
* England
* Northern Ireland
* Scotland
* Wales

Oceania

* Australia
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Cook Islands
* Fiji
* Guam
* Kiribati
* Marshall Islands
* Micronesia
* Nauru
* New Caledonia
* New Zealand
* Northern Mariana Islands
* Palau
* Papua New Guinea
* Samoa
* Solomon Islands
* Tonga
* Tuvalu
* Vanuatu

Islam portal

* v
* t
* e

Islam in Iraq has a rich complicated history that has come to be over almost 1,400 years, since the Prophet Muhammad lived and died in 632 CE.[1] As one of the first places in the world to accept Islam, Iraq is mostly Muslim nation, with about 98% of the people identifying as Muslim.[2] There are the two main branches of Islam in Iraq: Shia Islam, which is practiced by about 61% of Muslims and Sunni Islam, which is practiced by about 35%.[3]

Baghdad, which was once the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate and a center of Islamic scholarship, is one of the most important religious cities in Iraq.[4] It is very important to both Shia and Sunni communities. The Kadhimiya neighborhood in Baghdad is famous for having the shrines of two important Shia Imams.[5] Karbala, on the other hand, is respected for being the site of the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, which had a significant impact on Shia beliefs and practices.[6] The tomb of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the first Shia Imam and the fourth caliph, is in Najaf, which is another important city. This makes it a major pilgrimage spot.[7]

The famous Sunni thinker Abu Hanifa taught in Kufa and Ibn Hanbal taught in Baghdad.[8] This is historical evidence of how important Iraq is as a hub for Islamic thought and government. Another important place of worship is the al-Askari Mosque in Samarra, which is home to the tombs of the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams.[9] Throughout history, Iraq has also been the site of many fitnas, or religious splits, that have changed the way sects interact with each other.[10][11] This makes it an important place to study Islamic history and the relationships between different sects.[12]

## History

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2024)

|

## Religious cities

[edit]

This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2020) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

Iraq is home to many religious cities important for both Shia and Sunni Muslims.[13] Baghdad was a hub of Islamic learning and scholarship for centuries and served as the capital of the Abbasids.[14] Baghdad also is home to two prominent Shia Imams in what is known as Kadhimiya, Iraq. The city of Karbala has substantial prominence in Shia Islam as a result of the Battle of Karbala, fought on 10 October 680. Similarly, Najaf is renowned as the site of the tomb of Alī ibn Abī Tālib (also known as "Imām Alī"), whom the Shia consider to be the righteous caliph and first imām. The city is now a great center of pilgrimage from throughout the Shi'a Islamic world and it is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. The city of Kufa was home to the famed scholar Abu Hanifah, whose school of thought is followed by many Sunni Muslims internationally. Kufa was also the capital of the Rashidun Caliphate during the time of Ali. Likewise, Samarra is also home to the al-Askari Mosque, containing the mausoleums of the Ali al-Hadi and Hasan al-Askari, the tenth and eleventh Shia Imams respectively, as well as the maqam (or "point") of Muhammad al-Mahdi, who is the twelfth and final Imam of the Shia Madhhab. This has made it an important pilgrimage centre for Ja'farī Shia Muslims. In addition, some female relatives of Muhammad are buried in Samarra, making the city one of the most significant sites of worship for Shia Muslims and a venerated location for Sunni Muslims. Iraq was also the place of many the fitnas (schisms) that occurred in the beginning.

## Demographics

[edit]

The data on the religious affiliation of Iraq's population are uncertain. 95–99% of the population are Muslims.[15][16] In 2020, the Association of Religion Data Archives (ARDA) estimated that 97% Iraqis followed Islam, with 61% being Shia and 35% Sunni. [17] An older estimate by the CIA World Factbook reported a 36–39% were Sunni Muslims and 61-64% Shia Muslims.[15][18] According to a 2011 survey by Pew Research, 51% of the Muslims identified as Shia and 42% as Sunni.[16] David Smock of the United States Institute of Peace stated in 2003 that Shiites constituted about 55-60 percent of the Muslim population and Sunnis represented 35-40 percent.[19]

## Islam in law

[edit]

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (July 2023)

|

In 1968 the Ministry of the Interior had a prohibition on miniskirts, stating that sharia was one reason why.[20]

## Gallery

[edit]

* Al-Khulafa Mosque, Baghdad

* Imam Husayn Shrine, Karbala

* Shia commemorating Muharam in the holy city of Karbala

* Imam Ali Shrine, Najaf

* The spiral minaret of the Great Mosque of Samarra

## See also

[edit]

* Iraq portal
* Islam portal

* Demographics of Iraq
* Religion in Iraq
* List of mosques in Baghdad
* Iraqi Sunni Arabs
* Iraqi Shia Arabs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Muhammad | Biography, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 21 November 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
2. ^ "Region: Middle East-North Africa". Pew Research Center. 27 January 2011. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
3. ^ "National Profiles | World Religion". The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA). Retrieved 21 May 2025.
4. ^ "Baghdad | History, Population, Map, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 19 November 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
5. ^ Hamza, Kasirye. "ISLAMIC LANDMARKS IN IRAQ". 2020.
6. ^ "Karbala: history's long shadow". BBC News. 24 May 2013. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
7. ^ "Najaf | Iraq, Shrine, Population, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
8. ^ "Islam, Judaism, and Christianity in the Middle East | History of the Middle East – 1800 to Present Class Notes | Fiveable". library.fiveable.me. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
9. ^ "Abu Hanifah | Biography, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
10. ^ "Al-ʿAskaria Mosque | shrine, Iraq | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
11. ^ "Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) | History, Leadership, & Founder | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
12. ^ "Islamic world - Fitnah, Caliphate, Umayyads | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 31 October 2024. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
13. ^ The Legacy of Iraq: From the 2003 War to the 'Islamic State'. Edinburgh University Press. 2015. ISBN 978-0-7486-9616-1. JSTOR 10.3366/j.ctt16r0j1w.
14. ^ "Al-Jami'ah: Journal of Islamic Studies". aljamiah.or.id. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
15. ^ a b "CIA World Fact Book". 21 April 2021. Retrieved 25 April 2021.
16. ^ a b Michael Lipka (18 June 2014). "The Sunni-Shia divide: Where they live, what they believe and how they view each other". Pew Research Center. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
17. ^ "National Profiles | World Religion". The Association of Religion Data Archives (the ARDA). Retrieved 21 May 2025.
18. ^ "The World Factbook - The World Factbook". www.cia.gov. Retrieved 2 December 2024.
19. ^ "Religious Politics in Iraq". United States Institute of Peace. Archived from the original on 11 March 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2024.
20. ^ "Iraqi Girls Warned". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa: Associated Press. 28 December 1968. p. 7. \- Clipping at Newspapers.com.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Islam in Iraq.

* v
* t
* e

Demographics of Iraq

Religions|

* Islam
* Sunni
* Shia
* Christianity
* Evangelical
* Oriental Orthodox
* Roman Catholicism
* Jews
* Yazidism
* Yarsanism
* Mandaeism
* Shabakism

Ethnic groups|

* Afro-Iraqis
* Arabs
* Bedouins
* Marsh Arabs
* Armenians
* Assyrians
* Circassians
* Persians
* Kurds
* Feylis
* Shabaks
* Yazidis
* Jews
* Kawliya/Zott/Ghorbati
* Solluba
* Turkmens/Turkomans (Turks)

Foreign nationals|

* Palestinians
* Sudanese

* v
* t
* e

Iraq topics

History

| Chronology|

* Ubaid period
* Hassuna culture
* Halaf culture
* Halaf-Ubaid Transitional period
* Samarra culture
* Uruk period
* Jemdet Nasr period
* Sumer
* Subartu
* Akkadian Empire
* Gutian dynasty
* Neo-Sumerian Empire
* Isin-Larsa period
* First Babylonian Empire
* Old Assyrian Period
* Middle Assyrian Empire
* Kassite dynasty of the Babylonian Empire
* Simurrum culture
* Babylonia
* Assyria
* Neo-Assyrian Empire
* Neo-Babylonian Empire
* Babylonian captivity
* Fall of Babylon
* Achaemenid Assyria
* Seleucid Babylonia
* Parthian Babylonia
* Sassanid Asorestan

|

638–1958|

* Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia
* Umayyad Caliphate
* Abbasid Caliphate
* Buyid dynasty
* Qara Qoyunlu
* Aq Qoyunlu
* Safavids
* Ottoman Iraq (incl. Mamluk dynasty)
* Mandate for Mesopotamia
* Mandatory Iraq
* Kingdom of Iraq
* Kings
* Arab Federation

Republic|

* 1958–1968
* 1968–2003
* 2003–2011
* 2011–present

* Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region (National Command)
* Saddam Hussein
* Iraqi–Kurdish conflict
* 1974–1975 Shatt al-Arab clashes
* 1977 Shia uprising in Iraq
* 1979–1980 Shia uprising in Iraq
* Weapons of mass destruction
* Iran–Iraq War
* Operation Opera
* Invasion of Kuwait
* Gulf War
* 1991 uprisings
* Sanctions
* Iraq War
* U.S. invasion
* Iraqi insurgency
* U.S. troop withdrawal
* Insurgency (2011–2013)
* War (2014–2017)
* Fall of Mosul
* Mosul liberation
* Insurgency
* 2019–2021 protests
* 2021–2022 Iraqi political crisis

Geography

* Faw peninsula
* Upper Mesopotamia
* Lower Mesopotamia
* Borders
* Euphrates river
* Hamrin Mountains
* Iraqi Kurdistan
* Lakes
* Islands
* Mesopotamia
* Mesopotamian Marshes
* Persian Gulf
* Places
* Shatt al-Arab
* Syrian Desert
* Tigris river
* Umm Qasr
* Zagros Mountains
* Wildlife
* Sinjar Mountains

Politics

* Administrative divisions
* Constitution
* Council of Representatives (legislative)
* Democracy
* Elections
* Foreign aid
* Foreign relations
* Government
* Council of Ministers
* Presidency Council
* President
* List
* Prime Minister
* List
* Human rights
* in pre-Saddam Iraq
* in Saddam Hussein's Iraq
* in post-invasion Iraq
* in ISIL-controlled territory
* LGBT
* Freedom of religion
* Women
* Law
* Law enforcement
* Military
* Chief of the General Staff
* Political parties
* Judiciary
* Wars and conflicts

Economy

* Banks
* Central Bank
* Companies
* Corruption
* Dinar (currency)
* Infrastructure
* Foreign Investment
* Oil Industry
* Oil reserves
* Reconstruction
* Stock Exchange
* Telecommunications
* Transportation
* Airlines
* Railways
* Tourism

Society

| Demographics|

* Iraqis
* Languages
* Mesopotamian Arabic
* Aramaic
* Kurdish
* Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman dialects
* Persian
* Minorities
* Armenians
* Assyrians
* Circassians
* Kurds
* Mandaeans
* Marsh Arabs
* Persians
* Solluba
* Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman
* Jews
* Religion
* Secularism
* Islam
* Christianity
* Mandaeism
* Yazidis
* Irreligion

|

General|

* Art
* Cinema
* Cuisine
* Culture
* Literature
* Education
* Health
* Media
* Television
* Music
* Smoking
* Sports
* Squatting
* Public holidays
* Mesopotamian spring festival (Akitu)
* Mandaean New Year

* Category
* Portal
* WikiProject
* Commons

* v
* t
* e

Islam in Asia

Sovereign states|

* Afghanistan
* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Bahrain
* Bangladesh
* Bhutan
* Brunei
* Cambodia
* China
* Cyprus
* Egypt
* Georgia
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Iraq
* Israel
* Japan
* Jordan
* Kazakhstan
* North Korea
* South Korea
* Kuwait
* Kyrgyzstan
* Laos
* Lebanon
* Malaysia
* Maldives
* Mongolia
* Myanmar
* Nepal
* Oman
* Pakistan
* Philippines
* Qatar
* Russia
* Saudi Arabia
* Singapore
* Sri Lanka
* Syria
* Tajikistan
* Thailand
* Timor-Leste (East Timor)
* Turkey
* Turkmenistan
* United Arab Emirates
* Uzbekistan
* Vietnam
* Yemen

States with
limited recognition|

* Abkhazia
* Northern Cyprus
* Palestine
* South Ossetia
* Taiwan

Dependencies and
other territories|

* British Indian Ocean Territory
* Christmas Island
* Cocos (Keeling) Islands
* Hong Kong
* Macau

* Category
* Asia portal

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template