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An Iraqi Christian from the town of Samarra in his living room. Following the 2003 Iraq war, he says foreign groups - Al-Qaeda, Salafists and other extremists - infiltrated the city. As Christians, he and his family began receiving threats and his brother's car was blown up. The entire family decided to move to Ainkawa, a largely Christian town in Iraqi Kurdistan. Relative security and the large influx of displaced people and refugees has caused prices to increase dramatically in the region. He must work three jobs just to pay rent on a small apartment for himself, his wife and their two sons. Iraq's Christian community is considered one of the longest continues Christian communities in the world. Violence, persecution and sectarian strife have forced more than two thirds of the Christian population to flee the country. Ainkawa, Iraq. 17/04/2014.
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Photo © J.B. Russell
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The Last Christians of Iraq
An Iraqi Christian from the town of Samarra in his living room. Following the 2003 Iraq war, he says foreign groups - Al-Qaeda, Salafists and other extremists - infiltrated the city. As Christians, he and his family began receiving threats and his brother's car was blown up. The entire family decided to move to Ainkawa, a largely Christian town in Iraqi Kurdistan. Relative security and the large influx of displaced people and refugees has caused prices to increase dramatically in the region. He must work three jobs just to pay rent on a small apartment for himself, his wife and their two sons. Iraq's Christian community is considered one of the longest continues Christian communities in the world. Violence, persecution and sectarian strife have forced more than two thirds of the Christian population to flee the country. Ainkawa, Iraq. 17/04/2014.