In conjunction with the second anniversary of the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Iraq and his historic meeting with His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani (may his shade be extended) in Najaf al-Ashraf, and as a continuation of the activities of the UNESCO Chair for Interreligious Dialogue, the Chair held the Christian-Islamic International Forum under the title “The City Newspaper and Peaceful Coexistence” on Wednesday, March 15, 2023, in Najaf al-Ashraf/University City, Faculty of Science Hall.
The forum was attended by a gathering of academics, writers, intellectuals, and religious scholars from inside and outside Iraq, as well as representatives from the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Higher Education, and Scientific Research. Among the distinguished foreign guests at this forum were a Vatican delegation including researcher Stephen B. Young, Lord Daniel Brennan from the British House of Lords in London, and Professor John Dalla Costa, as well as Dr. Ahmed Al-Wakil from Qatar University, who presented a research paper on his project about the City Newspaper, and Dr. Raed Sharaf Al-Din and Mr. Antoine Frem from Lebanon.
From Iraq, Professor Abdul Amir Zahid, an experienced professor at the University of Kufa, attended, as well as Dr. Mohammed Ali Bahr Al-Ulum, professor at the Scientific Seminary ( Hawza) in Najaf al-Ashraf and Secretary-General of the Alameen Institute for Higher Studies, and Sheikh Abbas Al-Quraishi, President of the Iraqi Center for Documenting Extremism Crimes at the Holy Shrine of Abbas (as). The meeting was also attended by members of the UNESCO Chair, the General Coordinator of the Forum, Dr. Taha Fadel Abbas, conference translator Dr. Musab Abdul Zahra, and Mr. Hassan Al-Sarraf.
Dr. Alaa Shatnan, the Director of the UNESCO Chair, mentioned at the beginning of his speech at the forum: “Our university has always been keen on keeping up with important humanitarian and scientific events, and the UNESCO Chair has been diligently following everything related to interreligious dialogue and rapprochement since its establishment until today. Undoubtedly, the visit of His Holiness the Pope to Iraq and to the holy city of Najaf in March 2021 had great significance and attracted attention and study from many Iraqi and international academic institutions, as well as various media outlets. The historic meeting between His Holiness the Pope and His Eminence Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani had a broad and positive impact, embodying the spirit of tolerance and brotherhood between the two major religions, Christianity and Islam. Today’s seminar addresses an important topic that stems from the spirit of tolerance among religions. Our Prophet (peace be upon him) established what is known as the “City Newspaper” more than 1400 years ago, where he outlined the true and unambiguous principles of Islam regarding human interaction with others who differ in religion and belief.
The seminar followed the path of our noble Prophet and his successor, the commander of the believers Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), when he uttered his famous statement that His Holiness the Pope echoed during his visit to Iraq: “People are of two kinds, either your brother in faith or your equal in humanity.” This is a call for fraternity and tolerance among religions, and it does not mean the abolition or assimilation of religions into one religion. Such an idea contradicts human nature. Instead, it is an invitation to respect others and their religions and beliefs.
The seminar concluded with several recommendations that, overall, contribute to promoting the spirit of tolerance and fraternity among religions, which in turn positively impacts the state of harmony and peaceful coexistence within Iraq and beyond.
Translated into English by karrar Alkaabi
