Christians in Iraq, Kurdistan prepare for first Christmas since fall of IS

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The local administration in Kirkuk on Thursday announced next Monday would be a holiday and government offices would be closed as Christians are expected to celebrate Christmas amid tense times in the beleaguered region.

For Christians celebrating the holidays in Kirkuk, it would be the first Christmas since the defeat of the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq but is marked by the presence of Iraqi forces and Iranian-backed Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militias which took over the province during the Oct. 16 assault.

Many of the multi-ethnic city’s residents, notably Christians, participate in Christmas celebrations, just like the people of the Kurdistan Region who celebrate the holidays until the New Year.

“It was decided government offices in Kirkuk, and all of the province’s districts, would be closed in honor of the Christmas holidays,” the Kirkuk provincial administration said in a brief statement.

The number of Christian families in the city of Kirkuk dropped to roughly 500, three times smaller than before the fall of the regime in 2003. After the emergence of IS in northern Iraq, they were displaced to the Kurdistan Region, and others migrated to Europe.

The revival of such an event is often accompanied by tight security measures imposed by security forces around churches in the disputed city.

In the past few years, celebrations were muted as security risks were elevated under fear IS would target the Christian minorities in northern Iraq.

Christians in the Nineveh Plain have been subjected to harassment and assaults by the Shia militias since the takeover of the disputed areas, raising concerns about the upcoming celebrations.

Christians in the Region, however, openly celebrate the Christmas holidays as Kurdistan has been recognized as an oasis of calm and stability, earning a positive reputation as a haven for all components especially since the emergence of the extremist group.

Kurdistan is home to an estimated 300,000 Christians, Director-General of Christians’ affairs in the Region Khalid Jamal Talia previously told Kurdistan 24.

Christians in Iraq have been subjected to increased violence since 2003 when the former Iraqi regime—led by Saddam Hussein—collapsed, prompting many of them to flee to Kurdistan or move abroad to Europe and America for security reasons.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) will declare Monday a holiday as it has done every other year and the Iraqi government is expected to announce it a national holiday as well.

Christmas and New Year festivities are no longer confined to Christians in Iraq and Kurdistan, becoming increasingly more popular among the Muslim population.

Editing by Karzan Sulaivany