History
The history of Armenians in Iraq is documented since late Babylonian times. However, the general roots of the contemporary Armenian community in Iraq can be largely traced to Shah Abbas's forced relocation of the Armenians to Iran in 1604, some of whom subsequently moved on to settle in Iraq. A further 25,000 Armenians arrived in Iraq during the early twentieth century as they fled the persecution of the Armenian Genocide.
During the 1980s, the Armenians benefited from President Saddam Hussein's modernization efforts, as the community rebuilt its cultural institutions and even consecrated an imposing cathedral in Baghdad. Saddam Hussein trusted Iraqi-Armenians very much .His nanny was Iraqi-Armenian along with one of his body guards and his housestaff. One of Saddam Hussein's mistresses was Juliet N Gurjian . Saddam Hussein trusted the Iraqi-Armenians because they benefited under the secularist rule of the Baath party which strongly suppressed the Islamist forces especially the Shite Iraqi elements who would later rise against him. The Iraqi Armenians also did not support anyone in the opposition so the Hussein Regime benefited from Iraqi Armenian loyalty and granted the Iraqi Armenians many rights. During Christmas, Saddam Hussein would order large amount of flowers to be taken to the Baghdad Armenian church.
Read more about this topic: Armenians In Iraq
Famous quotes containing the word history:
“At present cats have more purchasing power and influence than the poor of this planet. Accidents of geography and colonial history should no longer determine who gets the fish.”
—Derek Wall (b. 1965)
“History has neither the venerableness of antiquity, nor the freshness of the modern. It does as if it would go to the beginning of things, which natural history might with reason assume to do; but consider the Universal History, and then tell us,—when did burdock and plantain sprout first?”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“It would be naive to think that peace and justice can be achieved easily. No set of rules or study of history will automatically resolve the problems.... However, with faith and perseverance,... complex problems in the past have been resolved in our search for justice and peace. They can be resolved in the future, provided, of course, that we can think of five new ways to measure the height of a tall building by using a barometer.”
—Jimmy Carter (James Earl Carter, Jr.)