Iraqi Canadians

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Iraqi Canadians
Total population
84,130 (by birth), 59,300 (by ancestry, 2021 Census ) [1]
Regions with significant populations
Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa, Calgary, Montreal
Languages
Mesopotamian Arabic, Canadian English, and Canadian French
also Kurdish (Sorani, Feyli and Kurmanji dialects), Turkish (Iraqi Turkmen/Turkoman dialects), and Neo-Aramaic (Assyrian and Mandaic)
Religion
Majority Islam (Shia and Sunni) and Christianity (Syriac Christianity and Catholic)
minority Mandaeism and Judaism
Related ethnic groups
Arabs, Arab Canadians, Iraqis, Iraqi diaspora

Iraqi Canadians are Canadians of full or partial Iraqi descent, as well as people from the state of Iraq who are ethno-linguistic and religious minorities. According to the 2011 Census there were 49,680 Canadians of Iraqi ancestry, an increase compared to the 2006 Census. [1]

Contents

History

Emigration from Iraq to Canada has increased dramatically due to political and economic situations in Iraq. The Iraq-Iran War resulted in many immigrants. With the destroyed Iraqi economy and the oppression of the 13-year economic sanctions against Iraq that followed the Gulf War of 1990–91, there was all the more reason to emigrate. From 1945 until 1975, fewer than 200 Iraqis arrived in Canada. [2] Emigration substantially increased in 1979, the year Saddam Hussein became president of Iraq. Between 1975 and 1992, 6,472 Iraqis arrived in Canada, [2] establishing about 3.5 percent of all Arab immigrants in Canada. [2] About 65 percent of Iraqis settled in the province of Quebec, particularly in Montreal, and in the province of British Columbia, particularly in Vancouver on shores of the Pacific Ocean. Many Iraqis also live in the province of Ontario, particularly in the Canadian capital city of Ottawa, Windsor and Toronto, the most populated city in Canada.

The 1991 Canadian census recorded 4,790 Iraqis; 3,525 of wholly Iraqi ancestry, and 1,265 of partial Iraqi ancestry. [2] Iraqi immigrants through the period of 1981-1992 settled principally in a few cities in Canada: British Columbia (362), Alberta (268), Quebec (203), Ontario (176), and Manitoba (152). [2]

Demography

Religion

Iraqi Canadian demography by religion
Religious group2021 [3] [a]
Pop. %
Islam 27,445
Christianity 24,270
Irreligion 4,625
Judaism 2,085
Buddhism 40
Hinduism 10
Other 820
Total Iraqi Canadian population59,300

Geographical distribution

Provinces and territories (2011) [4]
Flag of Ontario.svg  Ontario 35,220
Flag of British Columbia.svg  British Columbia 3,145
Flag of Alberta.svg  Alberta 4,465
Flag of Manitoba.svg  Manitoba 615
Flag of Saskatchewan.svg  Saskatchewan 810
Flag of Quebec.svg  Quebec 411

Employment

The main causes for the immigration of Iraqis were due to the Gulf War and the situation in Iraq which drove them out of their homeland.

In Canada, Iraqi immigrants seem to face three unexplainable problems, the first being unable to find jobs where they can apply their professional expertise. The second is discrimination, with a possibility that some employers associate them with the regime that they fled. The third is their lack of Canadian experience. Despite a high level of education and professional experience, 54 percent of 892 immigrants were unemployed. Of the 407 with jobs, 40 percent had professional positions; 24 percent, lower white-collar; 30 percent, blue-collar; 3 percent, service; and 3 percent, not stated. [2]

Community life

Iraqi Embassy in Ottawa Iraq, Ottawa.jpg
Iraqi Embassy in Ottawa

The patterns of formal association among Iraqis are new and voluntary, as revealed most notably in the Iraqi Community Center [5] based in Cote Des Neiges, Montreal. The center helps Iraqis adapt to Canada and develop ties with general society, and disseminates information about the ethnocultural heritage of Iraqi Canadians. Gender equity is the norm; the president of the Iraqi Canadian Society is a woman. [2]

Culture

Despite differences in dialect, many Iraqi Canadians see themselves as Arabs, Mandaeans, Assyrians or Chaldeans. Almost all Iraqi Arab immigrants wish to maintain the Arabic language in both oral and written forms. Because young children and Canadian-born ones cannot easily learn reading and writing skills, more emphasis is put on teaching oral skills. Many Canadian-born can understand spoken Arabic without being able to speak it.

Gender equity, which has expanded in Iraq itself, is encouraged in Canada. Marriage for both males and females remains principally endogamous.

There are a sizable number of Iraqi Christians in Canada. Christian denominations include Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, and Syriac Orthodox Church. The remaining 40 percent are Muslims, the majority being Shiite. There are also small numbers of Mandaeans and Jews, numbering in the hundreds or thousands.

Notable Iraqi Canadians

See also

Notes

  1. Religious breakdown proportions based on "Iraqi" ethnic or cultural origin response on the 2021 census. [3]

Related Research Articles

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The Iraqi people are people originating from the country of Iraq.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arab Canadians</span> Canadian ethnic group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assyrian diaspora</span> Assyrians living outside their ancestral homeland

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Minorities in Iraq have been incredibly influential to the history of the country, and consist of various ethnic and religious groups. The largest minority group in Iraq is the Kurds, with Turkmen following shortly after. Prior to the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Assyrians constituted a sizeable population of 1.5 million, and belonged to various different churches such as the Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, and the Syriac Orthodox/Catholic Churches. Other minority groups in Iraq include Armenians, Mandaeans, Baha'i, and Marsh Arabs, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqis</span> Citizens or residents of Iraq

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Religion in Iraq</span>

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Assyrian Americans refers to individuals of ethnic Assyrian ancestry born or residing within the United States. Assyrians are an indigenous Middle Eastern ethnic group native to Mesopotamia in West Asia who descend from their ancient counterparts, directly originating from the ancient indigenous Mesopotamians of Akkad and Sumer who first developed the independent civilization in northern Mesopotamia that would become Assyria in 2600 BC. Modern Assyrians often culturally self-identify as Syriacs, Chaldeans, or Arameans for religious and tribal identification. The first significant wave of Assyrian immigration to the United States was due to the Sayfo genocide in the Assyrian homeland in 1914–1924.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">British Assyrians</span> Ethnic group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iraqi Australians</span> Ethnic group

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of the Middle Eastern people in Metro Detroit</span>

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References

  1. 1 2 Statistics Canada (3 June 2023). "2021 Census Profile" . Retrieved 3 June 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Multicultural Canada". multiculturalcanada.ca. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  3. 1 2 Government of Canada, Statistics Canada (2023-05-10). "Religion by ethnic or cultural origins: Canada, provinces and territories and census metropolitan areas with parts". www12.statcan.gc.ca. Retrieved 2024-09-22.
  4. "2011 National Household Survey: Data tables". Statistics of Canada. Retrieved 19 January 2013.
  5. http://www.iraqicommunitycenter.com
  6. Iraqi released from Syrian jail