The Republic of Iraq
Becoming Culturally Responsive among Iraqi Families
Location and Geography of Iraq
The country of Iraq is located in the Middle East. It is bordered by six other countries. To the North is Turkey. To the west are Syria and Jordan. Saudi Arabia and Kuwait border Iraq to the south. Lastly, the country of Iran borders to the East.
The Republic of Iraq is most commonly known as the ancient fertile crescent or Mesopotamia. The Tigris River and Euphrates River cross the country from northwest to southeast, with many influential cities located along their banks.
There are four distinct geographic regions. In the far north and northeast there are highlands and mountains. In the north and between the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers is an upland region. The central and southern regions are marked by plains. Finally, in the west and south the land is a vast desert.
CAUTION: there are no political, social, religious or economic divides in the image above.
Language, Culture and Religion
Although the official language of the Republic of Iraq is Arabic, there are 23 living languages or dialects spoken. The most predominantly spoken languages are Arabic and Kurdish. There are just under 300 million people in the world who speak Arabic.
Iraq is a Muslim nation and many Muslim values influence their culture. Muslims follow a lunar calendar called Hijri and the years are based on the life and events of the prophet Muhammad beginning in 570 AD. Below you will find a website with important national holidays. Below that you will find a video that outlines the 12 months of the Hijri calendar. Each month is between 29-30 days in length. This lunar calendar is about 11 days shorter than the standard gregorian calendar used around the world. Iraqis use the gregorian calendar for day to day living, but the Hijri calendar for religions purposes.
Muslims belong to two denominations called Sunni and Shia. Most Muslims practice Sunni Islam and about 10-20% practice Shia Islam. Islam is the second largest religion, second only to Christianity, but it is the fastest growing major religion in the world. There is a large divide between the beliefs of Sunni and Shi'ite muslims and there is a lot of hostility between them for different reasons.
Baghdad, the capital city of Iraq was once full of incredibly diverse neighborhoods. The map on the left shows the city's religious make-up in 2005. Mixed neighborhoods, then the norm, are in yellow. The map on right shows what the city looked like by 2007, after two awful years of Sunni-Shia killing: bombings (shown with red dots), death squads, and militias. Coerced evictions and thousands of deaths effectively cleansed neighborhoods, to be mostly Shia (blue) or mostly Sunni (red).
Historical Flags of Iraq
1921-1959
The Kingdom of Iraq was founded in 1921 and their first flag was based off o the flag of the Arab Revolt. The two stars represented the two people groups, the Arabs and the Kurds.
1958
For a brief stint of time, this flag represented the Arab Federation when Iraq and Jordan merged in the response to the merger of Egypt and Syria. This flag is identical to the flag that was later adopted by Palestine. The union of the Arab Federation lasted less than six months.
1959-1963
Following the Iraqi Revolution in 1958, the Republic of Iraq was formed and a new flag was adopted in 1959. The yellow sun represented the Kurdish minority, the red star represented Iraq's ancient heritage. This flag is still allowed to be flown in Iraqi Kurdistan.
1963-1991
In 1963 the Iraqi flag donned 3 stripes that split the flag equally into thirds horizontally with red, white and black. In the center of the white stripe were three green stars.
1991-2004
While Saddam Hussein reigned as the dictator if Iraq, the flag was marked with what is said to be the takbir in Hussein's own handwriting. Takbir is the phrase allahu akbar which can be translated from Arabic to English as "God is great".
2004-2008
While Operation Iraqi Freedom was taking place, there was a national abandonment of the Iraqi flag. The US-appointed Iraqi interim government changed the script to a traditional Kufic script.
Current Flag of the Republic of Iraq
The current flag of the Republic of Iraq still contains the takbir in Kufic script, but the three green stars have been removed.
Iraqi Cuisine
Some popular foods in Iraq include kebabs, falafel, kofta and masgouf. Meals begin with mezza which is typically a dip or appetizer. Long-grain basmati rice is served with most dishes. In American it is important for Muslims to find meat that is halal. In Arabic, halal means permissible. Halal meat is slaughtered according to Islamic law as defined by the Qur’an.
Laffa
Iraqi pita bread, eaten with most meals.
Clay Ovens
Laffa is made using a large clay oven. Typically women throw the dough onto the sides of the oven and peel it off the sides when it is ready.
Kliecha
This is a sweet cookie-like treat filled with dates and coconut. It is often served along with hot tea.
Kabab
Meat is served in a way that it does not need to be held. This is an Iraqi kabab with some roasted vegetables.
Iroog
Iroog is a thin bread-like item that is made with herbs, minced meat and minced vegetables to give it a rich flavor.
Falafel
Falafel is a common mezza, or appetizer item. It similar to a meatball, but made with ground chickpeas and fava beans. They are often served with yogurt-based dips.
Celebrating an End and a Beginning
On June 4, 2016 I celebrated with a group of Iraqis living in Lexington, Kentucky who had just completed an ESL program. We celebrated with food, friends, games and singing.
A Beginning:
The following day, June 5th at sundown began the holy month of Ramadan where Muslims practice one of the Five Pillars of Islam - fasting. Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset for the entire month of Ramadan.
My Diverse "Family"
Cultural Responsiveness with Iraqi Families
From this interview I learned a lot about how to be culturally responsive as a person. I learned how important it is to listen to the life and experiences of those who are different from me. These Iraqi friends were very interested in knowing more about life, family, education and different cultures. In general, I think it is important to listen to those who are older than me and different from me because they have a lot to offer in shaping my worldview. Many of the things that I read and studied about Iraqi culture were true to form in my visit with this family which I was very please with. The research that I did beforehand helped me prepare to meet with this family and to come to know and understand them better.
I would recommend home visits for teachers and for anyone who has acquaintances of different cultural backgrounds. It is important to understand the background of a family to better understand their needs and their values in life. When visiting the homes of immigrant families, I do think that it is important to have some research done so that you can come in knowing some cultural norms and how to conduct yourself in their world.