The Assyrian and Chaldean #communities are two minority groups that have endured persecution for more than a decade. The communities were removed from their #homeland and were forced into displacement. Parts of present-day northern Iraq, southeastern #Turkey, northwestern Iran, and northeastern #Syria formed the tribal areas of the homeland.
Note, #Chaldeans are also quite similar in their rites to the rest of the Assyrian Church, but one main difference is their affiliation with the Catholic Church and the #Pope rather than with an #Orthodox Patriarch or head of Church.
The #Iraqi#Christians, as they are commonly referred to as, speak language derived from #Akkadian and #Aramaic, which is said to have been spoken by #Jesus#Christ. These indigenous ethnic groups are descendants of the ancient Assyrian Empire which collapsed between 612 BC and 605 BC. Five Churches were established at different points in history; the #Ancient Church of the East, Assyrian Church of the East, #Chaldean Catholic Church, #Syriac Catholic Church, and Syriac Orthodox Church.
The Iraqi Christians were allegedly persecuted under the Arab nationalist Ba’ath Party regime of Saddam #Hussein. Assyrian towns and villages were targeted and had to flee the nation in the late 1900s. They have faced increased persecution following the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. Estimated say at least 60% of them have fled the country ever since. ISIS has been another danger to the communities as they have attacked, killed, and imprisoned hundreds. Their persecution however dates back to during the Ottomans.