The participants of the camp “With Dialogue We Endure and Rise” visited the Council of Tribes and Communities of Basra.

The meeting discussed the reality of dialogue between religious and tribal leaders in the city. Sheikh Abbas Al-Fadhli, the Head of the Council, provided the camp’s youth with a detailed explanation of the Council’s role in promoting the language of dialogue among followers of different religions, strengthening peacebuilding among the city’s communities, resolving conflicts, and fostering peaceful coexistence.

Meanwhile, the Mandaean religious leader Sheikh Mohammed Shaker Abboud emphasized that establishing the principles of dialogue among community leaders of all backgrounds in Basra has led to shared coexistence among the city’s components, which has historically been built on diversity over time.

Mr. Taher Al-Noor, Chief of the Al-Sada Al-Noor Tribes in Basra, added that coexistence based on respecting the beliefs of others is what truly builds societies. However, he stressed that this does not happen randomly, but requires understanding leadership figures who believe in the rights of all citizens in the country and who fulfill their duties based on citizenship while prioritizing Iraq’s interests first.

Dr. Abdul-Salam Al-Jizani, the Representative of the Feyli Kurds Affairs in Basra, affirmed that dealing with others through duty, respect for ethnic differences, and prioritizing dialogue is what makes Basra a model of coexistence built on respect for diversity.

The meeting was also attended by Sheikh Imad Murad Al-Subaiti, Head of the Council of Mandaean Affairs in Basra, along with Sheikh Ghazi Sami Al-Jaber, Mr. Hadi Al-Noor, Mr. Majid Khazal Al-Shara, Sheikh Kazem Hatem Al-Azirjawi, and Haj Hussein Salman Al-Azirjawi.

At the conclusion of the meeting, the youth participants from Sinjar presented the Head of the Council and its members representing Basra’s communities with a stone from Mount Sinjar as a token of appreciation, symbolizing their pride in this mountain, which represents a symbol of Yazidi resilience and attachment to land, country, and identity.

It is worth noting that the #With_Dialogue_We_Endure_and_Rise camp is implemented by Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development, in partnership with KAICIID and Bayt Al-Taaish (House of Coexistence). The camp was launched in Baghdad with the participation of youth from Sinjar, later joined by youth from Baghdad in its first phase, and then continued to Basra, where young men and women from the city joined the team. The program will soon continue its journey across other Iraqi cities, aiming to promote #Dialogue as a mechanism for peacebuilding among followers of different religions and for rejecting hate speech.

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