One of the unique features of Iraq was always its rich ethnic, religious and cultural diversity that spanned thousands of years and across multiple civilisations. Religious co-existence generally prevailed until the fall of Saddam and the rise of extremist groups. One of the unique features of Iraq was always its rich ethnic, religious and cultural diversity that spanned thousands of years and across multiple civilisations. Religious co-existence generally prevailed until the fall of Saddam and the rise of extremist groups. The Christian community from the Chaldeans, Assyrians, Mandeans and various other sects have dwelled in the Nineveh plains for more than 1700 years with Nineveh itself a centre of many biblical prophets and events. The Christian numbers dwindled from as high as 60,000 before the fall of Saddam Hussein to around 30,000 by June of this year. On the hand, Yezidi Kurds, number over 300,000 and are one of the world?s old religious communities with roots in Zoroastrianism and a mix of other faiths. Persecution of the Yezidi and Christian minorities over the past decade or so is not new with thousands driven out, murdered or faced with intimidation and threats. However, the Christian and Yezidi fate took a new twist as the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) came storming along in Iraq, changing not only the political and geographic makeup of Iraq but its religious framework. In recent days, thousands of Yezidis were brutally killed and driven out of their homes as Sinjar was overrun, with thousands more stranded and dying of thirst and starvation in appalling conditions on Sinjar Mountain. Vian Dakhil, a Yezidi MP, made a passionate plea as the human catastrophe intensified, ?There is now a campaign of genocide being waged on the Yezidi?We are being slaughtered?? Thousands of Peshmerga were mobilised as part of an ongoing counter-offensive against ISIS positions. In recent weeks, ISIS issued a ?dhimma? by which Christians and other minorities were given the choices to convert to Islam or pay the ?Jizya? protection fee, and in the event they refused ?then there is nothing to give them but the sword?. By noon deadline of the next day, Christians were flocking in the thousands to the safety of Kurdistan. Patriarch Louis Sako told the AFP, ?For the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is now empty of Christians,