Ajam of Iraq


Ajam of Iraq or Persians of Iraq are Iraqi citizens of Iranian national background or descent. Iranians have had a long presence in Iraq, dating back to antiquity.
Saddam Hussein deported most Iraqi Ajams in the 1970s and 1980s.

History

In the 1970s, Saddam Hussein exiled between 350,000 to 650,000 Shia Iraqis of Iranian ancestry. Most of them went to Iran. Those who could prove an Iranian/Persian ancestry in Iran's court received Iranian citizenship and some of them returned to Iraq after Saddam.

Culture

Most Persians Iraqis belong to, the same religion that most Iraqis belong to. However, a significant portion of them are of Sayyid Iranian heritage of Arab origin which were moved to Iran under the Safavids and returned to Arab lands after the fall of the Safavids. Some even being descended from the al-Musawi clan.