The Iraqi diaspora refers to native Iraqis who have left for other countries as emigrants or refugees, and is now one of the largest in modern times, being described by the UN as a "humanitarian crisis" caused by the 1991 Gulf War and 2003 invasion of Iraq and by the ensuing war. The diaspora is formed of various ethnic and religious groups from Iraq, including: Arabs, Kurds, Turkmens, and Circassians who are mostly Muslims (practicing Sunni or Shia Islam). In addition, there are also Christians communities within the diaspora, such as the Assyrians and Armenians as well as some Jews. There are also Yazidis within the Iraqi diaspora. History The Iraqi diaspora is not a sudden exodus but one that has grown exponentially through the 20th century as each generation faced some form of radical transition or political conflict. There were at least two large waves of expatriation. A great number of Iraqis left the country during the dictatorship of Saddam Hussein, and large numbers have left during the Iraq War and its aftermath. Various ethnic and religious populations have also been displaced or relocated. The native Chaldeans have dealt with a century long dispersion of its people. Another ethnic group are the Mandeans, who numbered around 70,000 before the current war. Now, the last practising Gnostic sect in the Middle East has almost entirely left Iraq. During the first Gulf War, Iran provided refuge for 1.4 million Iraqis, though many did not settle there permanently. Facing international pressure, the United States agreed to allow Iraqis in the Rafha refugee camp in Saudi Arabia to resettle in America. Through 2002, over 32,000 Iraqi refugees had been resettled in the United States; they joined a population of non-refugee Iraqis in America, bringing the total to over 400,000 Iraqis in the US, most notably in Detroit, Chicago, San Diego and Phoenix. The history of emigration and of the diaspora community then drastically changed with the 2003 invasion of Iraq. There are many sources claiming different amounts of displaced Iraqis. Some claim as low as 1.2 million people have left Iraq, while others claim this number to be around 4–5 million. It is difficult to gauge an accurate number of how many Iraqis seek refuge in other nations because of the constant outflow of Iraqis. According to "UN statistics on displaced Iraqis around the world" of September 2007, Syria and Jordan are absorbing