Iraqi Women, Identity, And Islam in Toronto: Reflections on a New Diaspora‪.‬

Abstract This article examines the intersections of religion and nation in the diasporic imagination of Iraqi Sunni women, and the extent to which these shape their lives and experiences in Toronto. Migrating without the support of their husbands, these women negotiate the boundaries of imagined past and exiled present. Unlike other Muslim immigrants who find support and strength in local communities of Arab Muslims, Iraqi women in Toronto retain strong class and national ties. This study of Iraqi Sunni immigrant women argues that their affiliation to the Iraqi nation-state overshadows their ties to communities of Muslims and Arab groups in Toronto.