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Afro-Iraqis are Iraqi people of African Zanj heritage. Historically, their population has concentrated in the southern port city of Basra, as Basra was the capital of the slave trade in Iraq. Afro-Iraqis speak Arabic and mostly adhere to Islam. Some Afro-Iraqis can still speak Swahili along with Arabic.

Afro-Iraqi leaders claim that there are roughly between 500,000 and 1,500,000 Afro-Iraqis, however this is not verified by official figures. Their origins date back to the time of the Arab slave trade and slavery in Iraq between the 9th century AD to the 19th century AD.

Many are from the district of Zubair, descendants of the people who came to Iraq from East Africa. Some came as sailors, whereas others came as traders, immigrants, religious scholars, or enslaved people over the course of many centuries, beginning in the 9th century CE.

Origin and myth

Arab myths agree that the Cushitic king Nimrod crossed from beyond the waters of East Africa in the earliest times with an army, and established a civilization. Many existing sites in Iraq are still named after Nimrod. The Quran does not mention Nimrod by name, but Arab stories about Nimrod have resulted in him being referenced as a tyrant in Muslim cultures.

Jewish tradition recounts the tale of King Nimrod as well. It is stated in the book of Genesis that Nimrod was a mighty hunter of great renown and the first to build cities over the face of the world. He ruled in Mesopotamia, which includes modern-day Iraq.

Because of the legendary Nimrod's Cushitic origin (often identified with the historical Kingdom of Kush in what is today southern Egypt and northern Sudan), many believe that Afro-Iraqis now living in areas are his literal descendents. This is unlikely to be literally true for all afro-Iraqi citizens, as their presence in Iraq dates back only to the 9th century CE, whereas the Kingdom of Kush ended in the 6th century CE.

However Black Iraqis are the descendants of East African coastal Bantu peoples, likely the Swahili people, who were enslaved and brought to Iraq in the 9th century during the Arab slave trade to slavery in the Abbasid Caliphate to work on agricultural fields or as laborers. Although some African migrants came to Iraq as sailors and laborers the majority were brought as slaves in the 9th century. Chattel slavery continued for a thousands years, and African slaves were still trafficked to Ottoman Iraq in the 19th-century, being a part of slavery in the Ottoman Empire.

Officially, the import of slaves via the Indian Ocean slave trade of the Persian Gulf was prohibited by the Suppression of the slave trade in the Persian Gulf in January 1847. This was however a nominal prohibition, and the slave trade continued. Slavery in Iraq was formally banned in 1924, by royal decree issued by king Faisal I of Iraq.

Social condition

The Arab Muslim institution of slavery allowed enslaved people to own land, and enslavement was not generally hereditary. Conversion to Islam sometimes enabled enslaved people to escape their condition. Skin color played a distinctive role even amongst slaves, however, and discrimination based on skin colour existed, and continues to be a problem in Iraqi society. Today, many Afro-Iraqis activists report that they are denied job opportunities on the basis of their skin colour and ethnic background. Afro-Iraqis are well known as street musicians, as they historically experienced employment discrimination. Afro-Iraqis are also frequently called "Abeed", a pejorative meaning "slave" in Arabic.

During the regime of Saddam Hussein from 1968 to 2003, Afro Iraqis had some sort of representation. This was faded away after the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Heritage

Most Afro-Iraqis still are able to maintain rituals related to healing that are of Zanj origin. The languages used in these rituals are Swahili and Arabic. Percussion instruments such as drums and tambourines are used in these ceremonies. Songs such as Dawa Dawa are in a syncretic mixture of Arabic and Swahili. The song, which is about curing people of illness, is used in the shtanga ceremony, for physical health. Another ceremony, called nouba, takes its name from the Arabic word for paroxysm or shift, as Sophi performers take turns at chanting and dancing to ritualistic hymns. There are also unique ceremonies to remember the dead and for occasions such as weddings. Although the vast majority of Afro-Iraqis are Muslim, a shrinking minority still practices these traditions. Few Afro-Iraqis can still speak Swahili.

Notable Afro-Iraqis

This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (October 2023)

• Abbas Al Harbi – Australian theatre and film director, screenwriter, playwright

See also

• Afro-Arab
• Afro-Iranians
• Afro-Turks
• Afro-Palestinians
• Arab slave trade
• Afro-Saudis
• Swahili people
• Zanj
• Zanj Empire
• Slavery in Iraq

References

1. "Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Iraq : Black Iraqis".
2. "Hidden in Plain Sight: Basra's Legacy of Slavery". 14 January 2004.
3. ^ "السماح.. رقص التسامي الجمعي، أرواحاً وأجساداً- د. خير الدين عبد الرحمن". Albahethon. Retrieved 2017-01-03.
4. "دخلك بتعرف السود العراقيون (الأفرو-عراقيون) - دخلك بتعرف؟". دخلك بتعرف (in Arabic). 2017-06-04. Retrieved 2022-02-23.
5. "MRG condemns killing of Black Iraqi leader in Basra, calls for full investigation into his death". Minority Rights Group International. 2013-05-08. Archived from the original on 2013-06-12. Black or African Iraqis, who number between 1.5 and 2 million, are believed to have first migrated from East Africa to Iraq after the birth of Islam.
6. Karlos Zurutuza (2011-10-12). "To Be Black in Iraq". Inter Press Service. Basra. Salah Ruhais Salman, vice-president of the Iraqi Freedom Movement, a political party established to defend the rights of Iraqis of African descent ... "There are around 1.5 million of us in Iraq but none of us occupies any position in the Iraqi administration."
7. Ali Mamouri (2013-06-26). "Black Iraqis Struggle to Shake Legacy of Racism". Archived from the original on 2013-06-28. It is noteworthy that their marginalization persists although they exceed about 1.5 million, according to the Free Iraqi Movement Vice President Salah Ruhais Salman, or 2 million, according to a statement made by the secretary-general of the movement, Abdel Hussein Abdel Razzak.
8. Achilli A, Olivieri A, Pala M, et al. (April 2007). "Mitochondrial DNA variation of modern Tuscans supports the near eastern origin of Etruscans". American Journal of Human Genetics. 80 (4): 759–68. doi:10.1086/512822. PMC 1852723. PMID 17357081.
9. Abu-Amero KK, González AM, Larruga JM, Bosley TM, Cabrera VM (2007). "Eurasian and African mitochondrial DNA influences in the Saudi Arabian population". BMC Evolutionary Biology. 7: 32. doi:10.1186/1471-2148-7-32. PMC 1810519. PMID 17331239.
10. ^ "Black Iraqis". Minority Rights. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
11. "Refworld | World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples - Iraq : Black Iraqis".
12. Samonova, E. (2019). Modern Slavery and Bonded Labour in South Asia: A Human Rights-Based Approach. Storbritannien: Taylor & Francis.
13. Gordon, M. (1989). Slavery in the Arab world. New York: New Amsterdam.
14. Living in the Shadows. The Enduring Marginalization of Black Iraqis
15. ^ A Legacy Hidden in Plain Sight
16. Descendants of Iraq's black rebels back Obama
17. "Arabic Speakers on Twitter Campaign to Make 'Abeed' the New 'N-Word'".
18. "To be Black in Iraq". 12 October 2011.
19. "Black Iraqis". 29 November 2017.
20. Abbas Al Harbi Elcinema.com. DAMLAG S.A.E. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
21. Ola Bayad - a play in Arabic entitled Fear and Shame 2022 Al-Nujoom magazine. Retrieved 1 October 2023.

External links

• The hidden Black Iraq

• Ethnic groups in Iraq
• Iraqi people of African descent
• African diaspora in the Middle East