In Iraq, Christian woman wins court right not to be registered as Muslim

A woman in a Christian church in the Middle East. Photo: ADF International

On May 12, 2026, a court in Baghdad issued a historic ruling in favor of a young Christian woman named Maryam, who succeeded in challenging the Muslim status imposed on her by the state, ADF International reports. The verdict allowed her to officially restore her religious identity in state documents and created an important precedent for religious minorities in the region.

Maryam’s case arose from a discriminatory provision of Iraqi law under which minor children are automatically registered as Muslims if one of their parents converts to Islam. Although she was raised in a Christian family, after her parents’ divorce and her mother’s remarriage to a Muslim man, her religious status in the state database was forcibly changed.

After reaching adulthood, Maryam went to court to correct the record of her religion and bring it into line with her convictions. The judges upheld her claim, affirming the fundamental human right to freely choose one’s faith. Maryam’s two younger sisters are now awaiting the same legal correction of their records, as they are still officially listed as Muslims.

The rights organization that assisted her in court called the ruling a victory over a system that imposes lifelong religious classifications.

Kelsey Zorzi, director of advocacy for the organization, stressed that no state should have the right to permanently assign a religion to a person against his or her will. According to her, the verdict restored to Maryam the ability to live according to Christian commandments – a freedom that had been taken from her in childhood.

State authorities are expected to appeal the decision to Iraq’s Federal Court of Cassation. Rights advocates hope that a final victory before the higher court will help establish protection for Christians from forced Islamization in Iraqi jurisprudence.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that in Egypt, a Christian was tortured for converting to Christianity.

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