The Dialogue Knights team held an extensive seminar on the Shabak community and the future of diversity in the Nineveh Plain, hosted by the “Eye of Minorities” radio station in the region.
Researcher Abdul Zahra Al-Agha delivered a lecture to the camp participants about the history, culture, and geographical distribution of the Shabak. Participants also engaged with him in a discussion about the future of diversity in the Nineveh Plain and the role of dialogue in strengthening it.
The seminar was attended by 18 Shabak journalists and activists, along with participants from the Dialogue Education Program who came from different Iraqi cities. Journalist Imad Qusay, the director of the station, gave an overview of its establishment, objectives, and functions, and accompanied the participants on a tour of its departments to learn about its programs and staff.
During the discussion with the station director, the participants highlighted the importance of the media in promoting dialogue among followers of different religions in ethnically diverse areas, as well as the challenges faced by journalists and their role in reinforcing diversity in the Plain.
It is noteworthy that the Dialogue Education Program, organized by Masarat Foundation for Cultural and Media Development in cooperation with KAICIID and the House of Coexistence under the slogan “With Dialogue, We Endure and Advance,” reached Nineveh province this week. The program had started in Baghdad earlier in May with the participation of youth from Sinjar, then youth from Baghdad joined in its first phase. It later moved to Basra, where young men and women from Basra became part of the team, before heading together to Dhi Qar where youth from Nasiriyah joined them. The program has now arrived in the Nineveh Plain, aiming to strengthen dialogue as a mechanism for building peace among followers of religions and rejecting hate speech.
