Iraqi Youth Initiative Combats Sectarianism

The program works on a number of levels: with the Iraqi parliament to ratify relevant laws; with religious figures to strengthen communications with them and urge them to play a positive role in ameliorating sectarian conflict; with universities and research institutes to focus studies on phenomena and problems associated with the issues of Iraqi citizenship, to change and develop school curricula (which currently includes content that helps spread hatred but should be transformed into a tool for establishing a sense of shared citizenship and coexistence between the various segments of society); and with a wide-ranging and expanding social network to stand up in the face of the growing gap dividing various segments of the people.

The worthiness of this project has led international humanitarian organizations, among them the IKV Pax Christi Institute, to form ties with it, support it and develop similar programs in other countries in the Middle East, a region suffering from a number of sectarian crises. This is important for Iraqis, because the sectarian conflict in their country has become linked to what is happening in other parts of the region. It is thus necessary to be prepared and ready to take proactive stances toward events.

Ali Mamouri is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Iraq Pulse. He is a researcher and writer who specializes in religion as well as a former teacher in Iranian universities and seminaries in Iran and Iraq. He has published several articles related to religious affairs in the two countries and societal transformations and sectarianism in the Middle East.