By Rekar Aziz
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – A common street view in Iraqi Kurdistan may show a mosque near a church. In towns and villages, Muslims and Christians live peacefully next to members of smaller faiths like Yezidis and Kakaeis. The Kurdistan Region of Iraq prides itself on coexistence and tolerance.
That was confirmed during a recent conference in the Kurdistan capital of Erbil, which gathered dozens of scholars and clerics from around the world.
“The Kurdistan Region has found in itself the power to open doors for dialogue between religions,” said Prof. Dr. George Gregory, coordinator of the Arabic language department at the University of Bucharest, viewing the gathering as a necessary tool for promoting dialogue among the various ethnic and religious communities living in the area.
Meanwhile, Gregory did not see any overt religious conflicts in the Kurdistan Region. “I believe most conflicts are mainly political, with only the appearance of being religious,” he said, adding that many politicians use religion for self-promotion and persuading voters.
As the rest of Iraq continues to writhe in sectarian and religious violence, 11 years since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the autonomous northern Kurdistan Region has remained largely shielded from such bloodshed. Last year, according to UN figures, Iraq’s death toll rose to a record 8,868, the highest since the bloodbath of 2006-2007. The Kurdistan Region played contributed almost nothing to that figure.
“We embrace concepts of modern society and freedoms,” Kurdistan Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani said at a conference on tolerance four years ago. “At the same time, we can respect our religious commitment and the religious commitments of those who worship differently.”
Kurdistan is predominantly Sunni Muslim. Minorities may have their own neighborhoods -- like Erbil’s Christian Ainkawa quarter -- or villages. This prevents religions or minorities from being oppressed, said Sheikh Abdulla Mullah Said, who is head of the Religions Scientists Union in Iraqi Kurdistan.
“Enough freedom has been given to all religions,” he said. “Most importantly, Islam has not taken over any of the space needed for other minorities or religions.”
He pointed to two important reasons for the conference: “It raises awareness of misunderstanding between religious beliefs; at the same time, as foreigners also attended, it tells the world how strong the coexistence is in the Kurdistan Region.”
Out of nearly 300 research papers submitted, 61 were approved for presentation at the conference. One was presented by Adam Abduljabbar, from the University of Salahaddin-Erbil, covering the role of media in bringing different religions and ethnic groups closer.
“Media in Iraq have not been able to become the bridge between the different beliefs, in terms of strengthening the tolerance and coexistence,” he stated.
“In Iraq, when the religious majority owns a media outlet, it somehow neglects the existence of minorities. Each media (outlet) should make it a goal, for the sake of education, to illustrate the importance of the different communities in general, rather than belittling minorities as if they are less educated,” he said. “Most of the people in Iraq misunderstand what a minority is, and incorrectly think they have fewer rights.”
Abduljabbar said the main importance of the conference was that it facilitated the exchange of ideas among philosophers and religious scholars from across the world. “In this way, Kurdistan can absorb the best out of other cultures.”
One of the conclusions of the conference was to establish a network, themed on tolerance and social issues, to bring different groups closer.
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