This is
a full transcript, in the original English, of my interview with ambassador
Hussain Sinjari, former representative of Iraq in Portugal and founder and president
of Tolerancy International. The published interview, in Portuguese, can be read
here.
How
important is this visit for Iraq and for the Iraqi state?
As
everyone else, I do believe that this is a highly important visit. The Pope
comes to Iraq after the first papal visit was cancelled for many and difficult
reasons [in 2000] and now the Iraqis from different religious backgrounds are
all waiting with great hope for this visit.
We do
need not only the blessings from the Pope, but also to strengthen the moderate
voices in Iraq. In fact, not only in Iraq but in the Middle East at large. We hope
also that the visit will encourage the young Christians to stay home rather
than to immigrate to Europe and to other places.
This is
a visit of hope and we do appreciate the Pope, at his old age, making this
effort to come all the way to Iraq in these difficult times.
Many
people advised against the Pope's visit, for safety reasons and also because of
the pandemic...
Probably
for other reasons as well. Many people believe that the past will decide about
our future and this visit shows that our future shouldn't be buried by the past
and the conflicts of the past. This is the most important thing. We shouldn't
allow our past to decide our future and to bury it in the sands of the Middle
East.
The
coexistence among faiths and the different religious and ethnic backgrounds in
Iraq and beyond, in the Middle East, is very important for building a future
for everyone to have a place in it. Myself, as founder and president of Tolerancy International (tolerancy.org), I
have great hope that this will bear fruit, good fruit, and to plant seeds, this
Spring, in the soil of the Middle East for brotherhood, fraternity and equality
and human rights for individuals and communities.
Do
you have any doubts about the Government's ability to keep the Pope safe during
this trip?
No!
Everybody is concerned about this, including the two governments, in Baghdad,
and the regional government in Erbil, in Kurdistan. I have seen myself that
there are guards along the streets and everybody is making sure that the Pope
returns to the Vatican safely, and in good shape.
One
of the highlights of this visit will be the Pope's visit with Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani. How important is this religious leader in Iraq?
For the
Shiites he is very important, he is the supreme religious leader and grand
ayatollah among the Shiites, not only in Iraq but beyond as well, but also
Ayatollah Sistani is important for other Iraqis because until now he has shown
himself as a guardian of peaceful coexistence among different minorities and
people from different backgrounds in Iraq and for peaceful solutions whenever
there is a conflict or a problem, as well as being a moderate voice.
The
meeting with between these two great religious men is important to establish
peace among people and understanding, and tolerance and building tolerance, the
thing we most need in the Middle East.
There
was a serious conflict between Baghdad and Erbil a few years ago. Have things
been resolved?
The
problem between Baghdad and Erbil is not resolved completely. We still have
serious problems between the KRG and the Government in Baghdad. The issues of
oil and gas, budgets and state employees are all very important issues for the
living standards of the people, and are still not solved completely. There are
still serious problems.
But
somehow, if this is what you mean, there is a better military and security
coordination between the Kurdish forces and the federal forces of Baghdad. Any
understanding will help, and we hope this Papal visit will also help to find
common ground between Baghdad and the regional government.
