Room: 0111

Between terror and demonstrations

For almost a year popular protests have been ongoing in Baghdad and most Iraqi cities, without much attention from the outside world – except for solidarity actions among diaspora Iraqis in the Western world.
Every Friday the protesters are gathering to demand new governance in Iraq – free from corruption and religious division. Despite attempts, no groups or parties have been able to take over the leadership – the Friday demonstrations have been going on. The terror we all know about, Baghdad and other parts of Iraq have been struck by a number of terrible acts including the recent one killing 300 persons in Baghdad. This session will focus on how to support and strengthen peace by peaceful means in Iraq, and to gather global attention to possibilities, not to terror and destruction.

With: Hanna Edwar, Ali Rufai, Linda Menuhin Abdul Aziz, Muhsin Shraida, Cora Weiss, German-Iraqi activists

Chair: Tomas Magnusson, former IPB President

Film: Shadow in Baghdad

is a 2013 documentary film directed by Duki Dror. The film chronicles the story of Linda Abdul Aziz Menuhin, now an Israeli citizen who fled her native Iraq in the 1970s, and her connection with a young Iraqi journalist who reaches out to her in an effort to help her trace the disappearance of her father in Iraq. The film takes place between Israel, Iraq and Jordan.

Diversity is possible – follow up discussion on the film and how to protect religious diversity and rights

Introduction: Hanaa Edwar, winner of IPB’s Sean MacBride Peace Prize 2012

Linda Menuhin Abdul Aziz

German-Iraqi activists

Chair: Muhsin Shraida, IPB consultant