Civic campaign - Baghdad - January 2012
click on photo to enlargeThe aim is to promote a culture of peace, tolerance, love and rejection of hate speech and threats. 54 members of the (ICR) had signed to support the demand of the Initiative of Civil Peace and in 7-05-2012 the Committee presented a formal statement asking all Iraqi MPs to vote on 2012: a Year of Civic Peace in Iraq.
We are issuing a call for civic peace in Iraq. We are a group of activists, academics, and educators. Along with members of the media and representatives of many Iraqi organizations, we are launching our initiative for civic peace, seeking widespread national participation as we begin our activities. Our goal is to spread a spirit of forgiveness and understanding that will allow all members of Iraqi society to coexist in harmony and to promote a spirit of citizenship and civic understanding that guides all our interactions. In this way, we will make 2012 a year of peace.
This initiative aims to end all practices that encourage hate among Iraqi people. We condemn all political statements that encourage violence in any shape. We call upon all authorities – all civil, political, and educational figures – in Iraq to adopt and support the aims of this initiative.
We have agreed upon these core principles to achieve the goals of the initiative:
1 - The initiative is a national framework open to all Iraqis who seek peace and peaceful coexistence.
2 - Civic peace is a national priority for all Iraqis and it is everyone’s responsibility to work to achieve it.
3 - The safest and surest way to achieve civic peace is through dialogue and understanding that rejects all language of threats, intimidation, or accusations of treason.
4 - An independent judiciary and respect for the law are vital to establishing civic peace.
5 - The media must be key partners in promoting a culture of tolerance, love and peace, and rejecting hate speech and threats.
6 - We will use only peaceful and democratic mechanisms to achieve the objectives of the initiative.
The initiative will work in Baghdad and all the Iraqi provinces during 2012, carrying out activities that will be open to all, in order to achieve its aims. We have adopted a special sign for both male and female citizens who join the initiative: a white stripe across the chest. This symbolizes that they reject all violence and adopt principles of affection and forgiveness among all individuals as the civilized language of our new Iraq.
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