While thousands of Christians flee Iraq, one Kurdish town's Christian population soars

October 04, 2011

In the past decade hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Christians have fled; the country’s Christian population, once estimated at 800,000, is now closer to 150,000. Yet one town, Ankawa, has seen its Christian population triple. Vatican Radio examines the case.

Ankawa is a suburb of Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdish region, where militant Islam is not strong and Christians are generally secure. Christian families living in the town encouraged others to move in, and the Christian population has soared to 25,000.

 

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Further information:

• A beacon of hope for Iraq Christians (Vatican Radio)