'Handbook of Mesopotamia. Vol. I. 1918' [‎95] (104/568)

INHABITANTS
95
Emigration and
There has been no appreciable amount of emigration to other
countries from Irak.
From northern Mesopotamia there has been a certain emigration
of Christians, usually to America. From tiiG vilayet of Diarbekr it
was leported in 1908 that at least forty families of Armenians were
leaving every year, in spite of the difficulties put in the way of the
movement by the authorities. This tendency to emigration had its
main cause in insecurity; it had apparently become appreciable
since the massacres of 1895. There has also been a movement of
individuals who left their homes to seek their fortunes, intending
to return with their profits. Armenians and Syrian Christians
emigrated in this way.
There has been little immigration in recent times—the yearly
flow of pilgrims to the Shiah shrines in Irak not being considered
under this head. Persians, to the number perhaps of 50.000 to
60,000 (including Persianized Baluchis), are settled in Irak for
trade or religion (see p. 116); but there is no evidence as to the rate
at which this settlement has taken place. There were a few Indian
traders in Irak (at Basra and Baghdad), but they were not much in
evidence. Persians from the Grulf have lately come to seek work in
the Basra district, but it is doubtful whether many of these, or of the
Lurs who come from the hills to work in Irak or Arabistan, are to be
counted as permanent settlers. Small colonies of Indian Shiahs
were to be found at the holy cities of Kerbela, Nejef, and Kazimain.
Pathans and Afghans used to come to Baghdad to seek their fortunes
as doorkeepers, or in other employments for which their masterful
character suited them. Nearly, if not quite, all the Indians in Irak
before the present war were Mohammedans.
Ethnography
It is often impossible to disentangle racial elements in Meso
potamia, especially those of the non-Arab population, and in the
following lists are included divisions of the population which are
more clearly marked off by religious and other peculiarities than by
their race.
It may be remarked here again that the tendency of most
authorities is to exaggerate the numbers of the population and of its
racial and other groups.