Iraq: Conversion to Zoroastrianism in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI), including ceremony and supporting documents; treatment by society and authorities in KRI (2017-May 2019)
1. Zoroastrianism in the KRI
According to sources, Zoroastrianism [also called Zardashti, Mazdayasna] is a [3,500-year old (Salloum 2019, 31)] "ancient religio[n]" whose followers included Kurdish people, some of whom still live in the KRI (Salloum 2019, 30; Niqash 28 May 2015), though it "more or less disappeared" from the region in the 7th century with the dominance of Islam (Niqash 28 May 2015). Since 2015, Zoroastrianism has been "re-emerging" (Salloum 2019, 30-31) or is "experiencing a revival" (Niqash 28 May 2015), including in Sulaymaniyah [Sulaimaniyah, Sulaymaneyah, Slemani] governorate in the KRI (Salloum 2019, 30; Niqash 28 May 2015). Zoroastrianism is an officially recognized religion by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), since the passing of the KRG's 2015 law on religious minorities (Al-Monitor 17 Feb. 2016; Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019b). The US Commission for International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) explains that, in 2015, the KRG passed the 2015 Law of Protecting the Rights of Components in Kurdistan or "Minority Rights Law," which includes Zoroastrians as a recognized group or "componen[t] of the citizenry of the KRI" (US May 2017, 9). The same source adds that the law provides for freedom of religion and culture, among others, and mandates equality for all groups and states that discrimination based on religion is to be punished (US May 2017, 9). There is also an official representative for Zoroastrians at the KRG's Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (Al-Monitor 17 Feb. 2016; Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019).
The USCIRF 2019 annual report states that Iraq is 95-98 percent Muslim; religious minorities (other than Christians, who represent 1 percent of the population), including Zoroastrians, make up less than 1 percent of the population (29 Apr. 2019, 189). In 2017, USCIRF reported that there were a "small numbe[r]" of Zoroastrians in KRI, but "no accurate estimates" of the number of Zoroastrians in Iraq (US May 2017, 12, 19). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, the Zoroastrian representative to the KRG's Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs indicated that there are more than 10,000 Zoroastrians registered and publicly recorded by Zoroastrian organizations, but that there may be as many as 250,000 people when including those declaring their religious identity online, rather than publicly, due to "security concerns" (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019). In correspondence with the Research Directorate, an associate professor of religious studies at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, who has published research on post-2014 Zoroastrianism in Iraq, indicated that conversion to Zoroastrianism in the KRI is "happening widely," and remarked that "at least several thousand" is a "conservative estimate" for the number of Zoroastrians in KRI (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019a). USCRIF also notes that there were "reports of growing numbers of converts" to Zoroastrianism in 2017 (US May 2017, 13). The same source notes that estimates of the number of new converts in 2015 ranged between 10,000 and 100,000 (US May 2017, 19).
According to the Associate Professor, Zoroastrianism in KRI is broadly identified with "Kurdishness" as an identity marker (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019a). USCIRF remarks that the growing number of converts to Zoroastrianism has been "possibly fueled by its perceived links with Kurdish nationalism" (US May 2017, 13). The Associate Professor explained that the trend in Zoroastrian conversion is linked to individuals who are "often upset with Islam" because of the Islamic State (IS) [ISIS, ISIL, Daesh] or for other reasons, or "upset with Arabs," who are identified with Islam, and who "decide to assert their ethnic identity as Kurds by becoming Zoroastrian" (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019b).
A 2019 study on Iraqi religious minorities carried out by Saad Salloum, General Coordinator for Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development (MCMD) [an Iraqi NGO that focuses on minorities and interfaith dialogue (MCMD n.d.)] and Assistant Professor of political science at the University of Mustansiriyah in Baghdad whose research focuses on religious diversity in Iraq (Salloum 2019, 83), cites a "spiritual leader" of Zoroastrianism, Luqman Haji, as stating that Zoroastrianism is spreading to various parts of the KRI and surrounding areas, including:
- "areas in the far north" [of the KRI];
- Dohuk [Duhok, Dhuk]: Zakho city (near the northern border with Turkey);
- Sulaymaniyah: "especially Darbandikhan, Rania district, Qal'at Daiza city, and Chamchamal";
- Halabja;
- Erbil: Quessanjak, Koya [Koysinjaq, Koy Sanjaq];
- Kirkuk: Dagok, Walton Bridge (northwest of Kirkuk);
- Diyala: Khanaqin, Kafri [Kifri];
- Tuz Khurmatu [Touzkormato] (administratively part of Salah Al-Din [Saladin] governorate); and
- Kalar district ("between Sulaimaniyah, Diyala province, Kirkuk, Salah Al-din and Baghdad") (Salloum 2019, 31).
Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
2. Zoroastrian Temple and Organizations in KRI
The Zoroastrian representative stated that there are two Zoroastrian civil society organizations in KRI, which are based in Sulaymaniyah: "namely, the Yasna Organization for the Development of Zoroastrian Philosophy, and the Zoroastrian Philosophy Organization of Kurdistan" (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019). The Zoroastrian representative indicated that in addition to these two civil society organizations, there is a Zoroastrian temple in Sulaymaniyah (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019), while the Associate Professor wrote that one of the two "centers" in Sulaymaniyah is also a temple, which she said is better described as a "prayer hall" (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019b). The Zoroastrian temple in Sulaymaniyah is KRI's only [or "first" (Rudaw 21 Sept. 2016)] official temple (Rudaw 21 Sept. 2016) or Atashgah (Zoroastrian centre for worship) (Stylist 1 July 2017). The temple is officially recognized by the KRG's Ministry of Endowments and Religious Affairs (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019).
3. Ceremony to Return to Zoroastrianism
According to Iraqi news source Niqash, the first Zoroastrian ceremony "in over a thousand years" took place in Sulaymaniyah in May 2015, in which followers put on a "special belt" signifying their adherence and observation of the tenets of Zoroastrianism (Niqash 28 May 2015). Similarly, the 2019 study on religious minorities in Iraq states that, in 2015, "the return of Zoroastrianism was officially announced at a special ceremony in Sulaimaniyah" (Salloum 2019, 30).
The Associate Professor commented that as it is practiced in Iran, India and Pakistan, Zoroastrianism does not accept conversion; however, Kurdish Zoroastrians are "'reinventing the tradition'" (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019a). Al-Monitor interviewed the "spiritual leader" of Zoroastrians in Iraq, Peer Luqman Haji, who said that, for Kurds, the "more accurate term" than "conversion" to Zoroastrianism is "'returning to one's original religion,' or recovering it" (Al-Monitor 17 Feb. 2016). The Associate Professor stated the following regarding "conversion" to Zoroastrianism in KRI, noting that the "conversion process is an individual decision" and that there is "no set process":
In Sweden, there is a Kurdish Zoroastrian priest who will "baptize" followers, but that is not what happens [in KRI] normally. Here in the KRI, individuals may decide that they do not want to be Muslims anymore and start wearing Zoroastrian symbols. However, there are also numerous Muslims whom I met who participate in Zoroastrian events while still identifying as Muslims. Zoroastrianism here is seen as the original religion of the Kurds, before they became Muslims. As such, the argument goes, they do not need to convert formally because they are simply going back to what they were already before. In short, there is no conversion process for most. There is simply the individual decision. Many convert without being part of a larger network of fellow Zoroastrians. (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019b)
Al-Monitor reports that Zoroastrian "spiritual leader" Peer Luqman Haji administers conversion ceremonies called the "Kushti tying ceremony" (Al-Monitor 17 Feb. 2016). The Kushti is a sacred girdle worn around the waist by Zoroastrians (Al-Monitor 17 Feb. 2016). The ceremony involves a Zoroastrian cleric tying the Kushti around the convert's waist three times, called Tathbeet (binding), symbolizing their initiation into Zoroastrianism (Al-Monitor 17 Feb. 2016). A ceremony described by a convert in the magazine Stylist stated that the 15-minute ceremony took place in the Sulaymaniyah Atashgah, where, in her experience, she repeated an oath, and had a scarf wrapped around her waist and knotted three times at the back (Stylist 1 July 2017). A 2018 article by the New Arab, an English-language news website that focuses on the Arab world (The New Arab n.d.), describes a ceremony for a newcomer to Zoroastrianism during which a "high priest and his assistants" sang sacred chants, accompanied by musicians, and recited quotes from the Zend Avesta (Zoroastrian scripture), and had the newcomer raise his hand and repeat a series of exchanges with the priest (The New Arab 5 Feb. 2018).
The Zoroastrian representative stated that there is a "religious ceremony [held] for those who sincerely want to convert to Zoroastrianism," and noted the following:
In the Zoroastrian religion, the child's religion is registered only after he reaches the age of majority between 16-18 years of age and has the freedom to choose his religion. For anyone who wants to be a Zoroastrian, he must study and understand the philosophy of Zoroastrian religion and its moral principles. After reading and understanding the Zoroastrian religion, he believes in his mind and his heart and embodies the three moral principles of good thoughts, good speech and good deeds. His personality and practice with himself and with his family and relatives with the members of the community can be considered Zoroastrian after the decrees of belt tightening and wearing white clothes in the presence of a religious Zoroastrian component (may be a man or a woman [with] a religious degree [or rank (1 May 2019)]); and the decrees, rituals and religious claims of the verses of the Gathas [Zoroastrian hymns central to the Avesta, which contains Zoroastrianism's oldest sacred texts (British Library n.d.)], whether in the Afstian [Avestan] language or the spoken [Kurdish] language. (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019)
The Zoroastrian representative said that after attending lectures from Zoroastrian specialists and gaining "sufficient" knowledge of Zoroastrianism (including on the religion, history, and philosophy), and if they have "full conviction and desire," they can request that the ceremonies and rituals be held in an "official conversion" to Zoroastrianism, which is held in the temple in Sulaymaniyah (Zoroastrian representative 1 May 2019).
4. Documentation
4.1 Mention of Religion on ID Cards
USCRIF indicates that Zoroastrians are identified as Muslims on their identity documents (US May 2017, 19). The same source states that Muslims cannot change the religion that is indicated on their Iraqi ID (US May 2017, 20). Similarly, the Associate Professor stated that Zoroastrian converts cannot change their religion on their ID (30 Apr. 2019a). However, the Zoroastrian representative said that the new government-issued identity document [1] does not include religion (28 Apr. 2019). A November 2018 fact-finding mission report by the Danish Immigration Service (DIS) and Landinfo, the Norwegian Country of Origin Information Centre, on the issuance of the new Iraqi ID card in the KRI, also reports that the new card does not include information about religion (Denmark and Norway Nov. 2018, 9). The same source however notes that in 2018, old cards were still being distributed in some parts of Iraq and the KRI (Denmark and Norway Nov. 2018, 8). In contrast, USCRIF reported in 2017 that according to a "recently passed federal National Identity Card Law," religion is listed on the national ID card (US May 2017, 7-8). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
4.2 Documents Attesting Zoroastrian Religious Affiliation
Regarding documentation of an individual's Zoroastrian religious affiliation, including conversion, the Associate Professor stated that converts to Zoroastrianism are not given official certificates, noting that Zoroastrian temples and organizations exist, but that it is often an "individual form of spirituality rather than a communal form of piety" (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019b). Without providing further details, the same source said that converts can submit a "form" to "one of the two Zoroastrian centers" in Sulaymaniyah and that this would be the only documentation a convert might have (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019a). The Zoroastrian representative said that people who want to be Zoroastrian have to register their name with Yasna (organization for the development of Zoroastrian philosophy), which is based in the Zoroastrian temple in Sulaymaniyah, in order to attend lectures about the faith (Zoroastrian representative 1 May 2019). On the question of documentation, without providing further details, the Zoroastrian representative said that a "special identity" document is issued by the Yasna organization (Zoroastrian Representative 28 Apr. 2019). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
5. Treatment of Zoroastrians by Society and Authorities in KRI
The Zoroastrian representative indicated that under the 2015 KRG law on religious minorities, Zoroastrians in the KRI can freely practice their religion, without obstacles from the government (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019). Without providing further details, the Associate Professor stated that Zoroastrians are treated "the same" as other groups by the authorities (30 Apr. 2019a).
USCIRF states that the 2015 law is a positive step but that "it is unclear how effective it will be" (US May 2017, 9). A 2015 report by Iraqi civil society organizations Peace and Freedom Organization in Kurdistan (PFO) and Al-Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development (Al-Mesalla) [2] about the 2015 law states that the law mentions the prevention of discrimination, violence, and language encouraging hatred, but without defining discrimination or its punishments, stating only that "applicable laws" will be used which, the report states, may refer to the 1969 Iraqi "Criminal Law" [Penal Code] (PFO and Al-Mesalla July 2015, 7). Further information on the implementation of the 2015 law that protects religious minorities could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
The Associate Professor gave the opinion that family members may "bemoan a conversion, but converts have no actual negative consequences to fear" (30 Apr. 2019a). The same source explained that the "abandonment of Islam" in KRI since the 2014 rise of IS is "fairly common and widely accepted," though it is seen as "not ideal" (Associate Professor 30 Apr. 2019a). The same source stated that as long as the convert does not publicly and explicitly insult Islam or the country's president, "one is free to do as one likes" (30 Apr. 2019a). Corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response. In contrast, the New Arab states that "[d]espite its recent official recognition, Zoroastrianism is still far from the mainstream," and quotes a convert who stated that converts "'face continuous discrimination and threats, including death threats'" as Zoroastrianism is not "accepted by everyone in the KRG" (The New Arab 5 Feb. 2018). The Stylist article interviews Zoroastrianism's "female spiritual leader" who stated that she has received death threats from IS and from Salafi Sunni "extremist[s]" who threatened to attack her with a knife and acid for "speaking out about Zoroastrianism and equal rights," and noted that the local government provided her with a security guard (Stylist 1 July 2017). Corroborating information and further examples could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
USCIRF states that "hostility from extreme Sunni clerics and from some sections of the wider population" towards Zoroastrianism due to conversions of Muslim Kurds and "[c]lerics inciting violence towards Zoroastrians" are "issues of concern," noting that for some "extreme sects, apostasy is often seen as a crime and an act of treason" (US May 2017, 19-20). Sources report that in 2017, an Islamic cleric in the KRI made threating statements against Zoroastrians, calling for them to be killed if they did not repent (Rudaw 5 Feb. 2017; US 29 May 2018, 21). Sources report that the Zoroastrian representation to the KRG's Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs filed legal complaints in relation to these statements (Rudaw 5 Feb. 2017; Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019; US 29 May 2018, 21); the Zoroastrian representative stated that the legal complaints were later withdrawn after said ministry intervened in order to "preserve the process of peaceful coexistence between religions" in KRI (Zoroastrian representative 28 Apr. 2019). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
Without providing further details, USCIRF notes that there have been "[h]ate crimes towards Zoroastrians and towards Zoroastrian converts" (US May 2017, 19). Further and corroborating information could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate within the time constraints of this Response.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim for refugee protection. Please find below the list of sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Notes
[1] For further information on the new Iraqi ID cards, including when it started to be issued and the roll-out of the issuance program, see Response to Information Request IRQ105845 of August 2017.
[2] The Peace and Freedom Organization in Kurdistan (PFO) is based in Erbil and carries out human rights education, monitoring, and advocacy campaigns (Peace Insight July 2015). Al-Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development (Al-Mesalla) is a non-religious and non-profit NGO based in Erbil that has programs for non-violence, peace-building, and human rights in the KRI, among others (Al-Messalla n.d.).
References
Al-Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development (Al-Mesalla). N.d. "About Al-Mesalla." [Accessed 3 May 2019]
Al-Monitor. 17 February 2016. Saad Salloum. "Zoroastrianism in Iraq Seeks Official Recognition." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
Associate Professor, American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. 30 April 2019a. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Associate Professor, American University of Iraq, Sulaimani. 30 April 2019b. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
British Library. N.d. "Videvdad." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
Denmark and Norway. November 2018. Danish Immigration Service (DIS) and Landinfo. Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) - Report on Issuance of the New Iraqi ID Card. [Accessed 25 June 2019]
Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development (MCMD). N.d. "Who We Are." [Accessed 13 May 2019]
The New Arab. 5 February 2018. Sylvain Mercadier. "The Quest for Identity: How Kurds Are Rediscovering Zoroastrianism." [Accessed 30 Apr. 2019]
The New Arab. N.d. "About Us." [Accessed 14 May 2019]
Niqash. 28 May 2015. Alaa Latif. "The One, True Kurdish Prophet? Thanks to Extremism, Iraqis Revive Ancient Religion." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
Peace and Freedom Organization in Kurdistan (PFO) and Al-Mesalla Organization for Human Resources Development. July 2015. A Reading for the Law of Protecting Components in Kurdistan. [Accessed 1 May 2019]
Peace Insight. July 2015. "Peace and Freedom Organization in Kurdistan (PFOK)." [Accessed 1 May 2019]
Rudaw. 5 February 2017. "Converts Must Die: Kurdistan's Zoroastrians Outraged by Islamic Preacher." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
Rudaw. 21 September 2016. "Hopes for Zoroastrianism Revival in Kurdistan as First Temple Opens Its Doors." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
Salloum, Saad. 2019. Our Religious Diversity: Media and Minorities in Iraq. Denmark, Copenhagen: International Media Support (IMS). [Accessed 1 May 2019]
Stylist. 1 July 2017. Corinne Redfern. "'Why I Risked My Life to Convert to Zoroastrianism'." [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
United States (US). 29 April 2019. US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). "Iraq (Tier 2)." Annual Report 2019. [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
United States (US). 29 May 2018. Department of State. "Iraq." International Religious Freedom Report for 2017. [Accessed 29 Apr. 2019]
United States (US). May 2017. US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Wilting in the Kurdish Sun: The Hopes and Fears of Religious Minorities in Northern Iraq. By Crispin M. I. Smith and Vartan Shadarevian. [Accessed 1 May 2019]
Zoroastrian representative, Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 1 May 2019. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Zoroastrian representative, Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). 28 April 2019. Correspondence with the Research Directorate.
Additional Sources Consulted
Oral sources: Assistant Professor of Sociology in Kurdistan who studies the post-conflict Iraqi Kurdistan Region; Ceasefire Centre for Civilian Rights; Iraqi Society of Human Rights – Canada; Kurdistan Secular Centre; Professor of Iranian studies who studies Zoroastrianism; Professor of Religions and Cultures who studies Zoroastrianism; Professor who studies religious minorities in Kurdistan.
Internet sites, including: EU – European Asylum Support Office; Factiva; Federation of Zoroastrian Associations of North America; Ontario Zoroastrian Community Foundation; Project for the Study of the 21st Century; UN – Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Refworld; Zoroastrian Society of Ontario.