Localized version for English
Iraq is Shia Muslim as a country. The dominant religious context is: Religiously plural and politically fractured — Shia Muslim majority (~64%), Sunni (~32%), small Christian and Yazidi minorities; sectarian conflict has reshaped religious demographics.
Shia deconstructions in Iraq share most of the dynamics of broader Muslim deconstructions, with additional complexity around sectarian identity inside the family. The pillar page on Islam covers the safety, family, and identity work that applies here.
Leaving in Iraq can be dangerous. Apostasy carries legal exposure in some forms, family rupture is common, and physical risk exists in some contexts. Many people who leave do so privately, build financial and personal independence first, and consider whether the diaspora may be the only honest version of their life.
City coverage in Iraq
Baghdad
7.2M
Basrah
2.6M
Al Mawşil al Jadīdah
2.1M
Al Başrah al Qadīmah
2.0M
Mosul
1.7M
Erbil
933K
Abū Ghurayb
900K
As Sulaymānīyah
723K
Kirkuk
601K
Najaf
483K
Karbala
434K
Nasiriyah
400K
Al ‘Amārah
323K
Ad Dīwānīyah
319K
Al Kūt
315K
Al Ḩillah
290K
Dihok
284K
Ramadi
275K
Al Fallūjah
190K
Sāmarrā’
159K
As Samawah
153K
Baqubah
153K
Sīnah
129K
Soran
125K
Az Zubayr
123K
Kufa
110K
Umm Qaşr
108K
Al Fāw
105K
Zaxo
95K
Al Hārithah
92K
Ash Shaţrah
83K
Al Ḩayy
78K
Jamjamāl
76K
Khāliş
70K
Tozkhurmato
60K
Ash Shāmīyah
58K
Al Hindīyah
57K
Ḩalabjah
57K
Al Miqdādīyah
51K
Al-Hamdaniya
50K
Ar Rumaythah
47K
Koysinceq
45K
Al ‘Azīzīyah
45K
Al Musayyib
43K
Tikrīt
42K
Aş Şuwayrah
42K
Balad
42K
Sinjār
38K
Imam Qasim
37K
Bayjī
36K
Hīt
32K
Ḩadīthah
31K
Nahiyat Ghammas
31K
Nāḩīyat Saddat al Hindīyah
31K
Kifrī
30K
Mandalī
30K
Baynjiwayn
27K
‘Anah
27K
Ad Dujayl
26K
Batifa
26K