Participants in the Dialogue Camp “We Remain and Rise” toured the landmarks of the city of Al-Zubair within their camp held in the city of Basra.
The campers visited the Mosque of the Step of Imam Ali and learned about the history of the place and its symbolic and archaeological significance.
This place is considered the second mosque built in Islam after the Prophet’s Mosque, constructed in the year 14 AH after the conquest of the city by the leader Ubaidah bin Al-Ghazwan, who built it with reeds. It is narrated that the construction was carried out either by Mahjar bin Al-Adra’ from the tribe of Sulaym or by Nafi’ bin Al-Harith bin Kulthum.
After the year 17 AH, Basra was burned, and the fire may have affected the mosque as well, so the governor Abu Musa Al-Ash’ari rebuilt it using mud bricks, thatched the roof, and expanded its area.
During the visit, the youth of Basra provided their camp colleagues with a detailed explanation about dialogue in Islam and in the thought of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib emphasizing his teachings on accepting others and encouraging respect for freedom of religion and belief.
It is worth mentioning that the Dialogue Camp “We Remain and Rise” is implemented by Masarat Foundation in partnership with KAICIID and the House of Coexistence. It started in Baghdad with the participation of youth from Sinjar and was later joined by youth from Baghdad in its first phase. It then reached Basra, where the youth of Basra joined the team that will continue its tour in other cities of Iraq soon in a program aimed at promoting dialogue as a mechanism for building peace among followers of different religions and rejecting hate speech.
