Within the framework of enhancing societal dialogue and building bridges of communication between the components of Iraqi society, the Zoroastrian representation – the main office in Baghdad – participated in the first session of the Cultural Salon, which was held on August 9th in cooperation with the Arab Coalition for Legal and Training Institutions, and in the presence of a selection of prominent figures.
The representation was represented by Ms. Doha Meriwsh, head of the Relations Department, who contributed to discussions aimed at consolidating the values of coexistence and national belonging.
The session was chaired by the founder of the Cultural Salon, where multiple axes were reviewed that received a positive interaction from the attendees, and resulted in a set of important recommendations, the most notably:
- Highlighting all religious and social components in Iraq
- Enhancing national belonging values and consolidating the unifying identity
- Following up on the legislation related to the components and ensuring their fair representation
- Activating the role of civil society organizations in facing hate speech
- Organizing seminars and workshops for university students
- Including educational materials that introduce Iraqi components in the curricula
- Producing documentary films to introduce local communities
- Supporting governmental and societal efforts to limit extremism and terrorism
- Forming specialized committees to combat hate speech
The session also witnessed the distribution of questionnaire forms to participants to collect their opinions and observations, which enhances the future vision of the Salon and ensures community participation in formulating solutions.
At the end of the event, the message of the Cultural Salon was introduced and an announcement was made about preparing a documentary book that includes the most important outputs of the upcoming dialogues sessions, confirming the Salon's commitment to its role in spreading a culture of dialogue and building a cohesive and multi-identity society.