Future of Coexistence Post ISIS Conference Recommendations

In the Kurdistan Region’s capital Erbil, on September 21, 2019, the Barzani Charity Foundation (BCF) hosted the “Future of Coexistence Post ISIS Conference”. The international and local organization representatives, alongside the minorities, officials, politicians, and religious dignitaries in the Kurdistan Region attended the conference. After presenting two panels and two researches, the conference highlighted the following recommendations:

First: Humanitarian organizations and government officials must work hard to prevent extremist ideas among the components. Also, to put an end for the gun-owning phenomenon in the districts where the minorities live, and only the government should own guns. This needs activating the firearms control regulations act law by the government, and the government securities must search and dominate all the guns to protect civil people.
Second: The government and parliament members must come up with a plan to cure all the tragedies and wounds that the components faced in the past, aiming to motivate them to start a new and normal life once again.
Third: After ISIS and other extremist groups caused great damages to the relations among the components of Iraq, attention must be placed on reuniting the ethnics in order to encourage everyone to return to their homes and live together in peace.
Fourth: Humanitarian organizations’ focus must be on the projects that support the development of coexistence among the components in the areas that faced severity, renovation of destroyed districts and cities of minorities, provide them with more services, enhance their economic status, and stop the distribution of lands in such places
Fifth: Strengthening the relations between the humanitarian organizations, ministry, and related administrations to conduct more coordination projects in order to increase the spirit of coexistence among the ethnics and religions for the revival of those roots that terroristic groups aimed to pull out.
Sixth: Educational centers must give more attention to coexistence among the ethnics and must be studied in schools to make sure that the next generations have a strong belief in coexistence, accepting others and respect people who have a different point of view or practice other religious beliefs. Further, we need to educate families through the media to prevent any kind of gap among the different ethnics that might cause violence.
Seventh: The related administrations must conduct more researches to identify the obstacles and in creating a special policy for the development of social coexistence in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, and find proper solutions that satisfy all the components within the region.
Eighth: The religious speeches must help to familiarize people with the culture of coexistence and forgiveness to prevent the resurge of extremist thoughts or religious discriminations. Also, mosques, churches, Yazidi temples, and all the religious doctrines, ethnics, and cultural centers must work hard to protect the spirit of coexistence.
Ninth: It is vital for the international communities, UN agencies, international and local organizations try their best to help the minorities stay in their homeland and motivate them to start a new life.
Tenth: Try to develop the Kurdish understanding and explanations for the religious contexts and bring back the religious instructions of local Mullah and Sheikhs in Kurdistan about the coexistence of ethnics and religions in Kurdistan and Iraq. Get benefits from the countries that are desegregated, multi-colored, multi-religious, and a long-time passed since where they had ethnic and religious violence.
Eleventh: Try to implement the passed laws from the Kurdistan parliament, such as the law number 4th of 2015 (Protecting the rights of components in Kurdistan region- Iraq), and ask for reformation in the constitution sections in order to save all components’ rights and public freedom, and treat them equally.
Twelfth: To have a better understanding of the components, we need real protection for the different religion followers and try to provide them a safe and suitable environment, forgiveness and acceptance above all.
Thirteenth: ISIS fighters must face trial in an international trial or by combined national and international trial for all the crimes they commit against the components of Iraq and damaged coexistence among them.
Fourteenth: Inventing a specific law focusing on coexistence, and punishing anyone who commits anything or shares any thoughts that harm the coexistence among the Iraqi people.