ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Britain’s ambassador to Iraq John Wilks issued a statement on Sunday condemning the recent murder of human rights activist Souad al-Ali in Basra and social media star Tara Fares in Baghdad. The killing of both women has provoked widespread revulsion.
“The UK condemns such crimes unreservedly. Whoever committed these crimes should be brought to justice, as for all other cases of murder,” Wilks said in a statement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page.
“Violence against women and the attempt by men to dominate women by force will weaken Iraq in every sense. Both halves of the team need to play a full part for Iraq to thrive and be strong again,” the statement added.
Tara Fares was shot dead at the wheel of her Porsche in Baghdad last week, sparking outrage on social media.
Her murder came just weeks after the killing of Suad al-Ali, an Iraqi human rights activist who was shot and killed in her car in the southern city of Basra.
On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an immediate investigation into recent assassinations and abductions that he said appeared to be “organized”.
So far, one suspect has been arrested in relation to Fares’ killing.
“Iraq is a naturally very diverse country. Its differences of culture, religion, outlook and lifestyle are its strength, as long as everybody agrees on common rights and responsibilities and builds institutions to protect and embed civic equality for women and men on the basis of citizenship,” the UK ambassador said.
“As its history has shown any attempt to impose a narrow, uniform identity on Iraq and its people requires extreme levels of violence, even then it has failed because Iraqis are strong, independent-minded and will not easily relinquish their complex identities. In my experience that is as true for Iraqi women as Iraqi men,” Wilks added.
The embassy said Iraqis should respect their differences, including those related to gender issues, and must not resort to violence.
“The only way forward without destroying the lives of many more people is for Iraqis to respect each other’s differences, beginning with men and women, accept that there are very different views on religion, politics and gender issues, that truth and error can be argued and debated and truth will come out stronger without recourse to violence, in a way that rebuilds civilisation, not destroys it. Religion and humanity are at one on this,” the statement added.
“The UK condemns such crimes unreservedly. Whoever committed these crimes should be brought to justice, as for all other cases of murder,” Wilks said in a statement posted on the embassy’s Facebook page.
“Violence against women and the attempt by men to dominate women by force will weaken Iraq in every sense. Both halves of the team need to play a full part for Iraq to thrive and be strong again,” the statement added.
Tara Fares was shot dead at the wheel of her Porsche in Baghdad last week, sparking outrage on social media.
Her murder came just weeks after the killing of Suad al-Ali, an Iraqi human rights activist who was shot and killed in her car in the southern city of Basra.
On Saturday, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered an immediate investigation into recent assassinations and abductions that he said appeared to be “organized”.
So far, one suspect has been arrested in relation to Fares’ killing.
“Iraq is a naturally very diverse country. Its differences of culture, religion, outlook and lifestyle are its strength, as long as everybody agrees on common rights and responsibilities and builds institutions to protect and embed civic equality for women and men on the basis of citizenship,” the UK ambassador said.
“As its history has shown any attempt to impose a narrow, uniform identity on Iraq and its people requires extreme levels of violence, even then it has failed because Iraqis are strong, independent-minded and will not easily relinquish their complex identities. In my experience that is as true for Iraqi women as Iraqi men,” Wilks added.
The embassy said Iraqis should respect their differences, including those related to gender issues, and must not resort to violence.
“The only way forward without destroying the lives of many more people is for Iraqis to respect each other’s differences, beginning with men and women, accept that there are very different views on religion, politics and gender issues, that truth and error can be argued and debated and truth will come out stronger without recourse to violence, in a way that rebuilds civilisation, not destroys it. Religion and humanity are at one on this,” the statement added.
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