Freedom of religion and belief is an important and integral part of all other human rights and freedoms. As underlined in the Declaration and Treaties, human rights are complementary and intertwined. And without religious liberty, other rights are insufficient. 

The unchanging fundamentals of Islam are acknowledged in the Iraqi constitution as the primary source of law and as a standard for assessing the legitimacy of laws. Additionally, the constitution grants the rights and freedoms of followers of other religions and grants them freedom of religion and hymns. However, in practice, discrimination against adherents of other religions has increased, particularly since 2003. 

The most prominent religious groups facing discrimination and violence in Iraq are Sunnis, Judaism, Christianity and Yezidis. Since 2003, there have been approximately 10 times as many less Christians than there were previously. This is due to ongoing rape, physical and verbal abuse, and kidnapping of Christians. 
ISIS attacks have caused more than 170,000 Yazidis to flee their homes, and about 3,000 of them have been kidnapped and vanished. 

The Iraqi parliament enacted a law prohibiting normalizing ties with the Zionist entity in June 2022. According to the law, even visiting Israel is a crime that carries a life sentence or a temporary imprisonment. Additionally, maintaining any kind of relationship with Israel—diplomatic, economic, political, security, cultural, etc.— is sentenced to death. Above all, this violates the rights of those who possess dual citizenship and isolates Iraqi Jews from any connection to and solidarity with the nation. 

Iraq does not recognize the Kakaei, Baha'i, or Zoroastrian religions either. In accordance with civil and personal status laws, only non-Muslims are permitted to alter their faith, and Muslim women are only permitted to marry Muslim men. Moreover, unknown parents' children are automatically enrolled as Muslims when they are discovered. 

In accordance with both Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of religion and belief includes: 

First: Either freedom from a religious presence or freedom from the absence of a religious presence. 
Second: Freedom to practice any religion or none at all. 
Third: Religious freedom to alter. 
The state must uphold and guarantee the protection of these three liberties. Iraq and the Kurdistan Region must guarantee everyone's right to freedom of religion and belief as part of this new international commitment.