re: watso: it's islam vs all of us! dont be foole
Gz,
Think your analysis might be up the poo. Heres a little bit of the fairdinkum stuff. Looks like Iraq has a few more of each type of muslim than we have here. As noted previously why stuff up an angle with facts? lrj
Title: Iraq: Chapter 2B. Religious Life Date: 01/01/1991 Publication: Countries of the World Author: Stephan Pelletiere
Chapter 2B. Religious Life
Although members of the ruling Baath (Arab Socialist Resurrection) Party generally are ideologically committed to secularism, about 95 percent of Iraqis are Muslim, and Islam is the officially recognized state religion. Islam came to the region with the victory of the Muslim armies, under Caliph Umar, over the Sassanids, in A.D. 637 at the battle of Al Qadisiyah. The majority of inhabitants, including the Kurds, soon became Muslim, although small communities of Christians and Jews remained intact in the area of present-day Iraq.
Demographics of Iraq From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Almost 75% of Iraq's population live in the flat, alluvial plain stretching southeast toward Baghdad and Basrah to the Persian Gulf. The Tigris River and the Euphrates River carry about 70 million cubic meters of silt annually to the delta. Known in ancient times as Mesopotamia, the region is the legendary locale of the Garden of Eden. The ruins of Ur, Babylon, and other ancient cities are here.
Iraq's two largest ethnic groups are Arabs and Kurds. Other distinct groups are Turkomans, Assyrians, Iranians, Lurs, and Armenians. Arabic is the most commonly spoken language. Kurdish is spoken in the north, and English is the most commonly spoken Western language.
Most Iraqi Muslims are members of the Shiitess (Shi'a), but there is a large Sunni Muslim population as well, made up of both Arabs and Kurds. Small communities of Christians, Jews, Bahais, Mandaeans, and Yezidis also exist. Most Kurds are Sunni Muslim but differ from their Arab neighbors in language, dress, and customs.
Population: 22,675,617 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42% (male 4,860,795; female 4,708,453) 15-64 years: 55% (male 6,272,842; female 6,123,188) 65 years and over: 3% (male 331,840; female 378,499) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.86% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 35.04 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 62.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 66.53 years male: 65.54 years female: 67.56 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.87 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Iraqi(s) adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
