The Lord Bishop of Coventry – 2015 Parliamentary Question to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

The below Parliamentary question was asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry on 2015-12-07.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq regarding the National Identity Law and the right to freedom of religion or belief for all in Iraq.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns

We are closely following the proposed National Identity Law in Iraq. Our Embassy in Baghdad has raised at the highest level our concern about the potential effect of the Law, particularly Article 26, on minority ethnic and religious communities of Iraq. We have called on the members of the Council of Representatives to reconsider Article 26 and either remove it, or amend it from the proposed law. We have asked that the determination of the child’s religion for purposes of personal status law should only be made once she or he turns 18 years of age. We welcome the resolution adopted by the majority of the Council of Representatives on 17 November declaring its intention to amend the law. We continue to encourage the Government of Iraq to recognise all religious groups and ensure freedom of religion or belief in Iraq.