UNESCO CHAIR For Inter-Religious Dialogue Studies in The Islamic World
At the gracious invitation of the Academy of Geopolitics in Paris, the UNESCO Chair at the University of Kufa took part in the international symposium entitled “The Landscape of Genocide in Iraq: Political and Social Reverberations,” convened on 8 September 2025. The Chair contributed a scholarly paper under the title “Interfaith Dialogue and Collective Memory: Foundations for Social Peace in Iraq,” delivered by Dr. Mohammed Al-Quraishi, Adviser to the UNESCO Chair, on behalf of its Director, Dr. Alaa Shatnan.
The paper revisited Iraq’s arduous journey in the aftermath of 2003, when the nation emerged from the shadows of an authoritarian system steeped in violence and repression, only to descend into sectarian strife that rent the fabric of society. It underscored the pivotal role of interreligious dialogue in the cultivation of civil peace, particularly within a mosaic such as Iraq’s, and cast light on the urgency of dismantling entrenched stereotypes between religious and ethnic communities—stereotypes long perpetuated by former regimes and by ignorance of the “other.”
Further, the study emphasized that interfaith dialogue stands as a bulwark against the rhetoric of hatred, fortifying instead the values of coexistence and justice. Yet it also acknowledged the daunting obstacles hindering the realization of these principles in Iraq, not least the frailty of a culture of dialogue and the continued exploitation of sectarian divisions by political actors.
The paper likewise highlighted the centrality of collective memory in the entrenchment of peace, through the preservation of narratives of solidarity across communal lines in times of crisis—for instance, moments when communities shielded and safeguarded one another amid the fires of civil war. It called for a comprehensive approach—nurtured by institutions, anchored in social justice, and animated by genuine political will—to transform dialogue from an elite discourse into a lived social practice, thereby laying the groundwork for a peace that endures.
It is worth noting that the UNESCO Chair at the University of Kufa continues to pursue its mission in this domain through conferences, workshops, and research endeavors dedicated to the advancement of dialogue and the fostering of peaceful coexistence.
