What is iraq

Iraq is a Middle Eastern country, officially called the Republic of Iraq. Baghdad , the capital of Iraq, is situated in the eastern central region of the country. Iraq has a narrow section of coastline measuring 58 km on the northern Persian Gulf.

The Tigris and Euphrates are the two major rivers of Iraq. These rivers contribute significantly toward making the land of Iraq very fertile. Iraq has been home to indigenous Akkadian, Assyrian, Babylonian and Sumerian empires in its history. The Fact File. It gained independence from Britain on October 3, Flag of Iraq Flag of Iraq. Source — CIA 4. About Saddam Hussein 7. General Saddam Hussein became Iraqi dictator in The Relative Status of Women and Men. Its stated goal is to officially organize women, promote literacy and higher education, and encourage women in the labor force.

The federation supported big legislative steps, such as a law that said a woman may be appointed an officer in the military if she has a university degree in medicine, dentistry, or pharmacy. However, it has had little impact on issues that affect women as individuals, such as polygamy, divorce, and inheritance.

Many believe that the GFIW is not really functioning in the interests of women, but rather in the interests of the Baathist regime. Instead of trying to improve the situation of women in Iraq, the government seems to use the federation as a means to exercise control over them. In an address to the federation, Saddam said that an educated and liberated mother is one who will give back to the country conscious and committed fighters for Iraq.

An underlying goal of the GFIW, whether it is stated or not, is to encourage women to "liberate" themselves through commitment to the Iraqi revolution. In politics Iraq was the first Arab country ever to elect a woman to a parliamentary position. Though an incredible advancement for women in the Arab world, many believe that rather than exercising real authority, she was put in power to falsely demonstrate the controlling regime as a progressive one.

Today there are women in politics, though the legitimacy of their authority is often questioned. In Islam, the state religion, women do not hold any leadership roles. Many cannot go to the mosque to pray, and if they do, they are segregated from the men.

It is largely due to Islamic influence that women do not enjoy the same social rights and privileges as men, and if gender reform is to take place, it will have to be within the context of Islamic law.

In the past, arranged marriages were common. However, this practice is becoming more rare, and a law was passed that gave authority to a state-appointed judge to overrule the wishes of the father in the event of an early marriage. The Muslim majority traditionally views marriage as a contract between two families, as the family's needs are considered most important.

In urban settings, women and men have more options in choosing their spouses, though the proposed spouse still must have parental approval. Partners often come from the same kin group, and though marriage between different ethnic groups is accepted, it is not too common.

The ruling Baath regime considers marriage to be a national duty that should be guided and encouraged. Starting in , women were forbidden to marry non-Iraqi men. If they were already married, they were prohibited from transferring money or property to their spouses. Following the Iran-Iraq War, the loss of men's lives was so severe that the government embarked on a campaign to increase the population.

Government grants were given to men to marry war widows, and polygamy, once rare, became more common. Divorce is accepted, but usually is left solely as a decision of the husband. If the husband wishes to be divorced, it is normally without question or problem, while it is close to impossible for a woman to initiate a divorce proceeding.

In the event of divorce, custody is supposed to be granted based on what is best for the child's welfare. Domestic Unit. Couples can live in either of two ways: with the husband's extended family, or as a nuclear family. At present, with economic hard-ships, families tend to live with extended households. The extended family unit consists of the older couple, sons, their wives and families, and unmarried daughters.

Other dependent relatives also may make up part of this group, and the oldest male heads the group. He manages property and makes the final decisions regarding such things as the type of education the children receive, their occupations, and whom they will marry. In this living arrangement household and child-rearing tasks are shared among all female members of the larger families. If the couple can afford to live in a nuclear household, women, even though they work outside the home, retain all domestic and child-care responsibilities.

The challenge of the woman's role in this situation is that there is no change in cooking methods or materials, and they are isolated from the help and emotional support of other female family members. Families often grow large, because the Iraqi government has stated that every family should have five children, as four children or fewer is considered a threat to national security. Considering the extreme hardships families now face in light of economic hardship and harsh living conditions, the goal of many is now to simply feed their families and preserve a semblance of some sort of home life.

Based on the Islamic rule, a man inherits twice as much as a woman. The justification for this is that women are to be protected by their male relatives, so men need to be granted more means to provide. Normally, property and belongings are passed down through the family, split two-to-one between sons and daughters. Kin Groups. Large kin groups are the fundamental social units, and are of higher importance than ethnic, social class, and sectarian lines.

Familial loyalty is considered an essential quality, and the family is mutually protective of each other. The kin group usually is organized through descent and marriage and involves three generations, many of whom live together.

They often cooperate in areas such as agriculture and land ownership. If some family members live in nuclear families, they keep up practices such as depending on one another and asking the elders for advice. Individual status within the group is determined by the family's position and the individual's position within that group.

Infant Care. Children are the mother's responsibility, and in extended domestic units other female members also take care of the children. Children normally imitate older siblings, and obedience and loyalty to elders are of vital importance. Boys and girls have different upbringings, as a boy's birth into the family is usually celebrated, while a girl's typically is not.

The boy is thought to be more valuable to a family, given his potential to work, while the girl is considered more of a dependent. At puberty girls are separated from boys and have much less freedom than boys. Child Rearing and Education. The family holds an important role in teaching values, and they consider it their duty and feel responsible for other family members' behaviors.

A good child is loyal, obedient, and does not question authority. The In March , two million Kurds fled Iraq, settling at camps on the border to wait for humanitarian aid.

In urban settings, more authority is found in schools rather than with the family. Schools teach about religion and values that stem from it. One present problem, however, is that differing values are taught in schools than are taught in families. State schools tend to emphasize national sovereignty, Arab unity, economic security, and socialism, while families usually focus on such values as love, people, generosity, and religion.

Many families also fear that their children acquire violent views and habits such as spying while in school. Higher Education. Prior to the Persian Gulf War higher education was greatly prized, and the state used to pay for all of it, even literacy classes for adults. In the s the literacy rate was about 80 percent, and there were several plans to build new universities and expand existing ones.

During the Iran-Iraq War the government refused to recruit or draft university students, claiming that they would ensure the future of Iraq.

However, the situation has gravely changed since the Persian Gulf War. No current literacy statistic is available, but in the rate was estimated to be 42 percent, a sharp drop from the previous decade.

Also, there is no indication that the universities were ever expanded. Fewer women than men receive the highest levels of education. In general, both adults and children keep to themselves and are not loud and boisterous, especially in public. Men commonly hold hands or kiss when greeting each other, but this is not the case for men and women.

Respect is given to the elderly and women, especially those with children, as men give up their seats to them on buses and trains. Religious Beliefs. Islam is the officially recognized religion of Iraq and is practiced by 95 percent of the population.

Islam itself does not distinguish between church and state, so any distinctions between religious and secular law are the result of more recent developments. The Shias believe that the original twelve imams The ziggurat of Nanna, built around B.

Islamic leaders were both spiritual and temporal leaders and that the caliph, or successor of Muhammad and leader of Islam, is selected through lineage and descent. The Sunnis believe that the imams were strictly temporal leaders and that the caliph should be elected. The Sunni sect is considered the orthodox branch of Islam. The Yazidis, a cultural group living in the northern mountains, believe in a religion that combines paganism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam.

They are concentrated in the Sinjar Mountains in the north and are herders and cultivators. In the past they have been victims of persecution due to their religious beliefs and practices, of ten being called heretical. Religious Practitioners.

There are five pillars of Islam: praise of Allah as the only God, with Muhammad as his prophet; prayer five times per day; almsgiving; fasting; and pilgrimage to Mecca. Muezzins invoke a call to prayer, reminding everyone it is either time to pray or to call them to the mosque, and imams lead the prayers. Imams are not required to go through formal training, but usually are men of importance in their communities and are appointed by the government.

During Ramadan, men gather in homes or the marketplace to participate in readings of the Qur'an led by mumins men trained at a religious school in An Najaf or by mullahs men apprenticed with older specialists.

Christians are organized under a bishop who resides in Baghdad, and gather for Mass on Sundays. Rituals and Holy Places. Muslims gather at the mosque every Friday for afternoon prayer.

Ramadan falls in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar, which is on a lunar cycle and thus falls during different times of the year. The month entails a period of fasting from all food, drink, and activities such as smoking and sexual intercourse during daylight hours. At night the fast is broken, and on the first day of the tenth month there is a celebration, Id al Fitr, to acknowledge the end of the fast. During Id al Adha, on the tenth day of the twelfth month, there is a sacrificial festival.

Both this and the one following Ramadan last for three or four days, and people dress up, visit each other, exchange gifts, and also visit cemeteries. Death and the Afterlife. Funerals are very simple and somber events. People are buried on the day following their death, and are wrapped in a white cloth and placed in a plain box, if available. Whether the person is rich or poor, funerals are generally the same for everyone.

Health care is socialized, with a few private hospitals. The current situation of hospitals is dire, as they are tremendously understaffed, under-equipped, and overbooked. There has been a dramatic rise in disease since , due to chemicals used in the fighting of the Persian Gulf War, and from malnutrition and bacterial disease exacerbated by conditions resulting from the economic embargo.

In the s Iraq was extremely advanced in health care, but lack of resources and education has compromised medical advancement, and in fact has caused it to regress. Doctors who could once cure many diseases through medicine or surgery are no longer able to do so due for lack of resources.

Because Iraq was so advanced in medical expertise in the past, there was little reliance on traditional medicine. The current situation is disheartening for older physicians, because they are not able to do medical procedures that they have the capability to perform, and young physicians are no longer educated in the available techniques that older physicians know.

The health care situation is rapidly deteriorating, and once-controlled diseases such as malnutrition, diarrhea, typhoid fever, measles, chicken pox, and cholera are reappearing in great numbers; in addition, there is a large increase in diseases such as leukemia and other cancers. The Anniversary of the Revolution is 17 July and the most important secular holiday.

It was on this day in that the Baath Party took control of the Republic of Iraq. Other holidays celebrate Islamic feasts and include the day following the month-long fast of Ramadan Id al Fitr , the sacrificial festival of Id al Adha, the birth of Muhammad, and a pilgrim's return from Mecca.

Support for the Arts. The government supports artists, provided they are chosen by the state and do works requested by the state. For example, all writers, when commissioned by the state, must include praise to Saddam Hussein in their work.

In general, artistic forms of thought and expression have been banned. Private ownership of typewriters and photocopiers is prohibited, so that no independent writings may be published or distributed. In addition, publishing houses, distribution networks, newspapers, art galleries, theaters, and film companies are subject to state censorship and must register all writing equipment with authorities.

The end result is that artists are unable to express themselves freely. Graphic Arts. Islamic art is very important, as are ceramics, carpets, and Islamic-style fashion design. In the Iraqi Fashion House opened, and design concentrated on the preservation of traditional attire and historical style. At present historical art, which is colorful and fine, has been reduced to art produced for function, such as sculptures of political figures and propaganda for the government. Performance Arts.

Music festivals have been important, such as the Babylon International Music and Arts Festival last held in and International orchestras and performance troupes were invited to perform in the restored sites of Babylon, and people from all over the world attended. At present due to the harsh and severe living conditions, there are no resources to allocate to performance arts. Al-Khalil, Samir. Al-Khayyat, Sana. Honor and Shame: Women in Modern Iraq , Baram, Amatzia.

Saddam's Iraq: Revolution or Reaction? Chalian, Gerard, ed. Crossette, Barbara. Fernea, Elizabeth and Robert.

The Arab World: Personal Encounters , Fisher, W. The Middle East and North Africa , Hazelton, Fran, ed. Iraq: Power and Society , Lewis, Bernard. Lukitz, Liora. Iraq: The Search for National Identity , Miller, Judith and Laurie Mylroie. Saddam Hussein and the Crisis in the Gulf , Roberts, Paul William. Taylor, Marisa. Metz, Helen Chapin, ed.

State Department. Toggle navigation. History and Ethnic Relations Emergence of the Nation. Urbanism, Architecture, and the Use of Space Iraq's economy was once based on agriculture, which stipulated a large rural population.

Food and Economy Food in Daily Life. Social Stratification Classes and Castes. Political Life Government. Social Welfare and Change Programs Before the Persian Gulf War, welfare benefits such as Social Security, pensions for retirees and disabled people, and money for maternity and sick leaves were available.

Nongovernmental Organizations and Other Associations The most important NGOs are those that are responsible for food rationing and distribution, medical aid, and rebuilding of water and sewage treatment facilities. Marriage, Family, and Kinship Marriage. Socialization Infant Care. Etiquette In general, both adults and children keep to themselves and are not loud and boisterous, especially in public.

Religion Religious Beliefs. Medicine and Health Care Health care is socialized, with a few private hospitals. Secular Celebrations The Anniversary of the Revolution is 17 July and the most important secular holiday. The Arts and Humanities Support for the Arts. Bibliography Al-Khalil, Samir. Iraqi Christians are also subject to continued harassment and abuses by regional militias and internal security forces.

Many have had to flee as refugees or risk tragic consequences. As such, the Iraqi population in Australia is majority Christian as their claims for protection were well-founded. The Yazidis or Yezidis are an ethno-religious group that practice a syncretic religion.

Their faith combines aspects of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity and Judaism. They believe in a single god that is helped by seven angels, the most prestigious of which is a Peacock King Malak Tawous. In the Yazidi religion, one prays to this angel five times a day. The Yazidis are endogamous in that they are expected to marry within the religion. A Yazidi who marries outside the faith is then considered to have automatically converted to the religion of their spouse. Yazidis identify as ethnically Kurdish and speak Kurdish.

However, there remains dispute among both Yazidis and Muslim Kurds as to whether they form a distinct ethnic group separate from the larger Kurdish population.

The Yazidis religion and community originated in Iraq, however their population has declined. Thousands were killed or died of starvation as their resources were cut off. Thousands more have fled to escape religious persecution, abduction, enslavement and death.

The most recent reports from Yazidi leaders estimate that between , and , people remain in the north of the country. Many have sought protection in Western Europe and some have settled in Australia. Join over organisations already creating a better workplace.