In a post on X, the former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad on Monday praised the Kurdistan Region and the Kurdish leadership for their uniquely impressive record of positive interfaith relations after Sunday’s opening of a new church in Ankawa.
“For them, it’s not just a fashionable slogan or a conference topic. Over decades, they have rescued, protected, and sheltered members of minority religions, which was, in many cases, risky and burdensome,” Khalilzad said.
In 2014, the Kurdistan Region hosted hundreds of thousands Yezidis, Christians, and members of other religious groups that fled the rise of ISIS.
“At one time, they had to postpone the opening of their school year because they needed the classrooms to house Christians fleeing from violent persecution. Many people throw around the term ‘tolerance’ – I am proud of my Kurdish friends for showing us what it actually means,” he added.
The #Kurdistan Region and its leadership have a uniquely impressive record of positive interfaith relations. For them, it’s not just a fashionable slogan or a conference topic. Over decades, they have rescued, protected, and sheltered members of minority religions, which was, in…
— Zalmay Khalilzad (@realZalmayMK) October 12, 2025
During Sunday’s inauguration of the new Umm al-Noor Syriac Orthodox Church in Erbil, Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, thanked the people of the Kurdistan Region for hosting thousands of Christians that fled ISIS.
“We offer our gratitude and appreciation to the people of the region of Kurdistan, and especially to the [Kurdistan Regional] government, which spared no efforts to make our people comfortable here,” Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II said at the event.
Read More: Kurdish Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Protect Religious Communities
In recent months, the Kurdistan Region has hosted several delegations and events related to religious coexistence.
Read More: Kurdish Leaders Reaffirm Commitment to Protect Religious Communities
During a meeting with a delegation of Assyrian dignitaries from the United States in mid-September, Kurdish leaders reaffirmed their commitment to the protection of religious communities.
Furthermore, during the Kurdistan National Prayer Breakfast, held for the first time in Erbil from April 22 to 25, Kurdistan Regional Government Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also underlined the importance of religious coexistence.
“We are not only rebuilding homes and cities, but also renewing our promise to protect freedom of religion, promote coexistence, and foster peace in every corner of our land,” he stated during the event.
Ankawa, a Christian-majority suburb of Erbil, was turned into a separate district in 2021 by the Ninth Cabinet under the leadership of Prime Minister Barzani, to respect the local Christian community in the area.
On Monday, Prime Minister Barzani and President Nechirvan Barzani also separately hosted General David Petraeus, former Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, and discussed the developments in the region.
