With the rise of Islamic State, Iraq is splintering along religious and ethnic lines

A displaced girl from the minority Yazidi sect, who fled violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar, worships at their main holy temple Lalish in Shikhan. (Ahmed Jadallah/Reuters)

By Abigail Hauslohner September 30 at 3:30 AM

BAGHDAD — For millennia, Iraq has been one of the Middle East’s most religiously and ethnically diverse lands. Its cities and villages are dotted with the decaying hallmarks of ancient Babylonian civilization, the mosques of the first Muslim empires, the castles of foreign conquerors, and the churches and shrines of early Christians and Jews.

With the Rise of Islamic State, Iraq is Splintering Along Religious and Ethnic Lines by Thavam