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Iraqi minority refugees in jeopardy, report says
Refugees from Iraq's minorities face insecurity and risk losing their religious and cultural identity as they seek refuge in neighboring countries and Western Europe, a minority rights group said on Thursday.
The United Nations refugee agency estimates that around 1.9 million people have fled Iraq, which was almost torn apart by sectarian killing in the years following the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Violence there has now declined though there are still sporadic bombings.
Minority Rights Group International said a disproportionate number of those who had fled Iraq were from ethnic or religious minorities, including Christians, Circassians, Sabian Mandaeans, Shabaks, Turkmen and Yazidis.
Many undertook dangerous journeys to Europe often only to be met with restrictive asylum policies, discrimination and in some cases forcible return, the group said in a report.
"Some communities like Mandaeans, who number a few thousand globally, stand to lose many of their religious and cultural practices, as they are spread across and within countries. They are at risk of cultural eradication," Carl Soderbergh, Minority Rights Group's director of policy, said in a statement.