Iraqis in Lebanon
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| (100,000 2.5% of the total population) |
|
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Beirut, Roumieh, Baalbeck, Beqaa, Nabatiyeh, Baabda, Aley, Matn, Tyre, Sidon, Hermel, Zahlé, Bint Jbeil, Chouf, Jbeil, Tripoli, Koura | |
| Languages | |
| Arabic, Kurdish, Neo-Aramaic (incl. Mandaic), Turkmen | |
| Religion | |
| Predominantly Islam; Christianity (Syriac Christianity, Catholicism). | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Arabs, Armenians, Assyrians, Azeris, Iranians, Lebanese, Mizrahim, Turks |
Iraqis in Lebanon are people of Iraqi origin residing in Lebanon, which includes Lebanese citizens of Iraqi ancestry or more recently Iraqis seeking refuge in Lebanon, most as a direct result of the instability and violence that followed the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Statistics for Iraqi refugees in Lebanon vary, but typically put the number at around 50,000, although the latest statistics from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees put the current number of Iraqi refugees at just under 30,000, and yet some say the number may be as high as 100,000.
Iraqis have been present in Lebanon for decades, with many young Iraqi workers choosing to emigrate there to the Paris of the Middle East to further their careers. However, the first real influx of a large number of Iraqis to Lebanon started in earnest in the 1990s, with Iraqis fleeing Saddam Hussein's regime as well as the hardships of international sanctions. Most of the Iraqis during this period were Shia, fleeing Saddam’s regime, or Christians, seeking exile in an Arab country with a significant local Christian population. Human Rights Watch puts the pre-2003 number of Iraqis in Lebanon at about 10,000.
After the 2003 invasion of Iraq, the first wave of Iraqi refugees fleeing the war began. By the middle of 2005, the number of Iraqis in Lebanon had doubled from the pre-Iraq War figure to 20,000. This number more than doubled with the second wave of Iraqi refugees fleeing the country after the February 2006 bombing of al-Askari Mosque in Samarra. By 2007 the numbers of Iraqis in Lebanon increases to between 26,000 and 100,000, but usually set at 50,000 by international agencies. Reliable and irrefutable statistics are difficult to come by with the majority of refugees in legal limbo. Variations in statistics as well as many of the issues that Iraqi refugees in Lebanon face are also linked to the ‘invisible’ nature of urban refugees.
Of the 8,090 Iraqi refugees actively registered with the UNHCR in Lebanon, over half have arrived since 2009. Of the same group of refugees, most are either Christians (42.0%) or Shia Muslims (39.2%) with a minority of Sunni Muslims (15.6%) and other sects or religions, including Mandeans and Yezidis (less than 1%, each). Most Iraqis in Lebanon are from Baghdad, having entered the country via Syria.
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Wikipedia