New Sessions of the Interfaith Consultation on Iraqi Social Cohesion in Beirut

With the Organization of WCC and MECC

Representatives of the Societal and Religious Components Discussed Ways to Promote Fraternity and Citizenship Aiming for a Better Iraq  

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As a follow-up to the consultation that started in Beirut in 2017, under the title of “Interfaith Consultation on Social Cohesion in Iraq”, the World Council of Churches (WCC) organized in cooperation with the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) new sessions from 13 to 15 December 2021 in Beirut. The consultation was held in the presence of the WCC Acting General Secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca and the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs. As for the attendees, 40 representatives of different Churches, religions, organizations, official bodies and components of society in Iraq participated.

The consultation started with an opening speech by Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca. He said “Faith is part of the inner identity of a human being. It touches the whole of the human life. It refers to one’s faith in God bur also defines one’s way of life: relationships with others and the whole world”. He added “The Covid virus does not choose between faith communities, national identities, colours, genders; it touches equally all humans, without any difference. Therefore, religious leaders and religious institutions play an important role in the life of the local communities and contribute greatly to justice, peace and social cohesion. This is true for the whole world and particularly for Middle East and Iraq…”.

Sauca continued, “Interfaith collaboration to address social cohesion in the region contributes to building bridges of trust between communities and setting the ground for a peaceful and prosperous society. As religious and ethnic leaders, it is our collective responsibility to build trust, promote the spirit of tolerance, and preserve the human rights of our community members”.

He added, “Based on the recommendations of this consultation, the WCC, together with its member churches, partner organizations and you, religious leaders, continued working on implementing as much as possible some of the programmes and activities you have identified. The discipline we worked in was education”.

As per Sauca the WCC addressed many education goals such as “removing from the educational curricula all forms of extremist ideologies against any religious or ethnic group and removing any content that may incite animosity, discrimination, or marginalization, and adding, in a just and authentic manner, by the communities themselves, missing information and sections related to the representation of the Iraqi components in the curricula…”.

He also mentioned, “Iraq, the cradle of civilizations, needs today more than ever a national plan where religious leaders play a crucial role. A plan that considers the following: recognize and support transitional justice efforts. Both retributive and restorative justice measures are needed; rebuild social capital and trust with a long-term and multi-actor perspective; spiritual and ethical engagement of the religious leaders of all ethnic and religious groups; active role of the state that must make itself present, representative of and responsible for all components of society, securing the application of the rule of law; and counter hate and dehumanizing narratives of the other…”.

Rev. Prof. Dr Sauca concluded, “we are living communities of faith. Our dialogue is a dialogue of life, a dialogue of humanity. Together we can build bridges so that our paths intersect and meet so that our hearts celebrate our fellowship so that this world is a better place to live in peace, harmony and dignity”.

The full speech of Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca.

From his end, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs also delivered an opening speech. He said “the collapse of the culture of accepting diversity and accepting the other, son of my society - which is nothing but the other self - is an indication of the disintegration of the social contract and consequently the transformation of society into a forest in which the strong destroys the weak… It is the abolitionism fever that afflicts societies in periods of their history, and it may affect one group, so it is divided and goes into oblivion.

Here the crucial question arises: What is the way to prevent such an epidemic, preserve the unity of society, and ensure its prosperity and the well-being of its people? It is the Word, O people! The Word that distinguishes man from the rest of the creatures!... Is it a coincidence that in the beginning was the Word? The word means to be able to communicate your messages to the other and to receive his messages”.

He added, “Unfortunately, what happened in Iraq proves beyond dispute that technological and scientific progress, if not accompanied by progress on the level of social integration, remains vulnerable to collapse at any moment. Society is an integrated whole that advances in its entirety, and regresses if one of its dimensions remains without the progress reached by the other dimensions”.

Dr. Abs also tackled the issue of education and considered that it “constitutes the backbone of this path, as it is the basic framework for building and refining minds and guiding them to new ways of thinking, leading to the construction of a new human being… If you want to destroy a society, you must destroy its educational sector”.

As for the media, which is “the new force for forming the value system”, Dr. Abs considered that it is “the most influential tool in the formation of the collective and societal mind, negatively or positively… If the media is not aware of the danger of every word, whisper, and blink of an eye that it circulates through its tools, society will be in danger”.

Dr. Abs continued and mentioned the constitution and the role of the state saying that the state is “the greatest guarantor of civil peace and social integration, and consequently, the formation of social capital. In a just state, the deadly dimensions of identities are negated, as the application of the law is the only available means to obtain rights. We considered that dealing with the constitutional dimension in the context of our concern in social cohesion in Iraq is essential”.

He added “I hope this meeting will be a building block for the new Iraq, an Iraq that we never imagined would reach what it has reached. We wish all the interlocutors, who are among the elites of Iraqi society, to formulate a better tomorrow for a society that has suffered from injustice. A society that deserves life because it hoards in its history, culture, human and material resources the ingredients for a decent life. Your society was the victim of an opened and blatant conspiracy that ended with an apology for which I will not give the description it deserves, but I can say about it that it is neither logic nor justifiable”.

Dr. Abs asked, “History began in Iraq, in Beth Nahrain. Is it conceivable that this people were not once one and united, but were differentiated from each other by virtue of historical transformations, conquests, and natural internal dynamics that happen in every nation on the face of the globe?...”. He also added, “you are one people and one civilization in its very being the composition… the only way to build social unity and, consequently, national unity is to reach a common vision of what will be the homeland of tomorrow”.

Dr. Abs ended “the Iraqis have the right to dream, like all the peoples of the Antiochian East, which were systematically destroyed, one country after the other, starting with Palestine, then Lebanon, then Iraq and ending with Syria. If our legends have been in common since pre-historic times, then it is a fortiori that our destiny is common, and that what is being plotted for us is also common. There is no escape for any of the components of our eastern societies from cohesion and synergy, otherwise the fate will be bleak, but we are a people who believe in the resurrection and the renewal of life. Let us embody this renewal in what we will accomplish in the coming days, and God is the Grantor of success”.

The full speech of Dr. Michel Abs.

The first day included speeches that focused on a shared vision for Iraq. Participants from different traditions and religions exchanged their visions and point of views for social and religious cohesion in Iraq, assessing the current context and envisioning the way forward. The issue of education and ways to achieve social cohesion were discussed, and the participants talked about the role of education to form inclusive and diverse communities. As well as, the work done through the process of the revision of the educational curriculum in Iraq was also presented.

On the second day, the Iraqi ambassador in Lebanon participated. The sessions included a discussion about the Iraqi constitution and its role in social cohesion, and the attendees discussed an action plan to face the challenges imposed by the constitution.

On the third and final day, the main theme was the role of media in developing societies and achieving social cohesion. The participants also discussed the content of the final statement that will be issued tomorrow, and their recommendations so they can present it to the that will bring to the concerned parties aiming at achieving the dream of a better Iraq.

World Council of Churches: Interfaith consultation on social cohesion in Iraq fields visions of hope

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