For Iraqi Christians, emigration is the norm

Iraq's Christian migrants are facing a number of difficulties in adapting to their new environments abroad. As many of them continue to emigrate, some observers say the country may soon be empty of Christians altogether. To explore the implications for the migrants and for Iraq, Niqash interviewed Father Youssef Tuma, Editor-in-Chief of the magazine Christian Thought, and founder of Baghdad Open University for Humanities. Father Tuma is one of the most prominent Dominican fathers in Iraq. He has translated dozens of books from the Syriac, English and French into Arabic but he also has excellent knowledge of German, Greek and Spanish. Niqash met with Father Tuma to discuss the challenges facing Iraqi migrants, an area he has direct experience of thanks to his annual visits to the Europe and the US.
Niqash: How would you describe the condition of Iraqi Christians in the forty-plus countries you have visited?
Father Tuma: Migration has certainly had an impact on Iraqi Christians. They become nostalgic and they miss the old days in Iraq. They are also becoming more religious as they try to hold onto their roots. Christians who never went to church before are looking for churches in the countries where they now live. MORE HERE