This volume is part of the Intersections series which explores how the intertwining of gender, religious marginality, socioeconomic exclusion and other factors shape the realities of women and men in contexts where religious inequalities are acute, and freedom of religion or belief is compromised. This volume looks at these intersections in the context of Iraq. Its aim is to amplify the voices of women (and men) whose experiences of religious otherisation have accentuated the impact of the intersections of gender, class, geography and ethnicity. At time of publication, in December 2022, the country is going through a particularly turbulent phase, prompting some to wonder why now? Isn’t it bad timing to focus on the experiences of minorities, let alone inter- and intra-gender dynamics? Iraq is caught in the middle of geo-strategic struggles of tectonic proportions but this is all the more reason to understand the dynamics of micro-politics through a gender-sensitive lens. Doing so sheds light on the interface between global, regional and local power struggles in tangible and concrete ways.

For much of the past year, the country has been without a government, causing political uncertainty, sectarian division, protests and violence. At time of writing, in October 2022, a new president and prime minister were appointed, marking the end of Iraq’s longest period without a government since 2003 and the US-led invasion. History is still alive and present in people’s narratives. The US-led invasion 20 years ago and the occupation by ISIS fighters almost ten years ago are spoken of as if they happened yesterday. Sectarian fault lines are still very deeply drawn. Iraq is a mosaic of ethnic, religious, linguistic and cultural components. According to reliable estimates, 99 per cent of Iraqis are Muslim, of whom 60 to 65 per cent are Shia and 32 to 37 per cent are Sunni (MRG 2022). The remaining 1 per cent of the population comprise the following religious minorities: an estimated 350,000 Christians in Iraq, 500,000 Yazidis, 200,000 Kakai, fewer than 5,000 Sabean-Mandaeans and a small number of Bahai (ibid.). The UK government also recognises the presence of Jews and Zoroastrians in Iraq, although it does not give current population numbers (Home Office 2021).