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A glimmer of hope for believers in Jesus (Yasua/يسوع) in the Middle East! A woman whom we shall call “Maryam” has won a court case in Iraq to change the designation of her religion in the Iraqi government official database where she had been previously labeled as “Muslim.” Iraq’s Article 26(2) National Card Law had demanded that Maryam coercively adopt Islam as her religion when her widowed mother had remarried a Muslim man.
Maryam has two sisters, still minors, who are Christian in practice but were registered obligatorily as Muslim. When they reach the age of majority, they too will apply for their status to be adjusted and corrected.
Not only Christians but other religious minorities in Iraq will now be able to correct errant state-imposed classifications. Before the introduction and domination of Islam, Iraq was a rich tapestry of monotheistic and polytheistic religions. In Northern Mesopatamia Zorastrianism was prevalent. It worshipped Ahura Mazda as a singular and supreme god. Syriac and Eastern Orthodox Christianity was well established in the territory of contemporary Iraq before the creation of Islam. Other Christian groups, such as Nestorians and Jacobites, were also there. Judaism predated Islam by many centuries, while Mandaeism, which revered John The Baptist, was also a known group in the area. While Islam colonized the area in the 7th century, it never truly eradicated these preexistent groups, as the case of Maryam clearly underscores.
Maryam’s case is far from over, however, as the state will appeal it in the Federal Court of Cassation. Will the case be adjudicated positively for Maryam there? If so, all other religions in Iraq would be protected also.
The designation of one’s faith can affect many aspects of civil life including education, inheritance, marriage, or even obligation to settle certain cases in Sharia courts.
For the full article: https://adfinternational.org/news/christian-woman-wins-legal-challenge-against-muslim-designation-in-iraqs-official-database
