Iraqi court tells a Christian Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian woman to convert into Islam

NOHADRA, Iraq — The Iraqi authorities have told the Christian Chaldean-Syriac-Assyrian woman, Evlin Joseph, whose mother converted into Islam when she was 15, to convert into Islam along with her children.

The Iraqi Personal Status Law states that if one of the parents converted into Islam, their children under the age of 18 should also convert into the new religion.

Joseph lives in Nohadra (Duhok). She is married to a Christian man, and has 3 Christian children. All her official documents state that she is Christian, and her marriage is registered under the church affair law.

Joseph stated that she was not aware of the regulation until recently.

Her husband, Sami Patros, declared that the Law affected the whole family.

“At the National Identity Card Office, they told me that my wife’s mother converted into Islam. Therefore, my wife should also convert into Islam, and my children’s religion also should be changed from Christianity to Islam,” Patros added.

Akram Michael, a lawyer who has represented many Christian cases in the courts stated that he has addressed many similar cases.

Michael believes that the Law contradicts the teachings of Islam, adding that this forces anyone to convert into Islam by force.