Written by: Hassan Al-Bashkani / Sinjar
When I read the announcement for the dialogue education program, I applied without knowing what would happen and what we would do. I expected it to be like other trainings, just gathering in the same place for several days in a repetitive training.
But the surprise began when I arrived in beloved Baghdad, and my colleagues at Masarat welcomed me. After a short break, everything started to be amazing and worth the journey.
The dialogue with Mr. Hussein Al-Sadr and the tour of Kadhimiyah City was unforgettable and will stay with me as I recount it to everyone I know, even to my children in the future.
He was a unique personality… a man of this age speaking with us as if he were a young man in his twenties, emphasizing the unity of Iraq and discussing with us in a pleasant manner, with a tone of voice that made us forget the passage of time, stressing the necessity and legitimacy of protecting diversity and freedom of religion and belief.
When our colleague Samar, a Mandaean, complained about those who label them as infidels, his response was, “You are mentioned by God in the Quran… Don’t pay attention to them; God is the one who judges and holds accountable, not creation.”
His response made me focus on the positive things that bring us closer together, in contrast to that hatred.
At the House of Wisdom, I was shocked by the level of attention given to minority issues and religious and ethnic diversity, and I felt the extent of the work being done to protect diversity in Iraq.
Therefore, my personal motivation to volunteer in this field increased. I will work to support anyone who believes in dialogue and respect for others until we can all work together to make dialogue the foundation for building safe communities free from extremism and hate speech.
