The project, inspired by the visit of Pope Francis, includes buildings for prayer, a room and a meeting center. It is a reference point for Christians, Muslims (Sunni and Shia), Jews and Sabaeans. And at the same time, it is a way to start over and rebuild after the violence and devastation of war and jihadist movements.
Baghdad () – The government of the Dhi Qar region, in southern Iraq, has begun work to build a center for interreligious dialogue, which will include places of worship for the Islamic, Christian, Jewish and Sabaean confessions. The project includes a room and a center for interreligious dialogue, which will be built near the ancient city of Ur, one of the most important archaeological sites in the country and linked to the figure of Abraham, father of the three great monotheistic religions.
Ur and Najaf represented a key stage of the apostolic trip of Pope Francis to Iraq in March 2021. Several Islamic-Christian commentators and leaders consider that in the meeting with Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and in the interreligious prayer of Ur the foundations were laid for an Iraq founded on coexistence, pluralism, peace and a multicultural vision, capable of overcoming jihadist fundamentalism.
The birth of the center of Ur was commented on by the pan-Arab daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed (The New Arab, based in London), according to which it will include places of worship of the four religions and will occupy an area of more than 10,000 square meters. The project is part of a program to revive and recover the ancient city of Ur, within a broader plan promoted by the government after the pontiff’s visit to the Arab country.
In July of last year, the general secretariat of the Iraqi Council of Ministers announced the approval of a center for interreligious dialogue. In recent days, the deputy governor of Dhi Qar, Ghassan Al-Khafaji and responsible for planning, confirmed the intention of the local administration to grant a license for the construction of the first church, which will be flanked by urban planning and infrastructure works – water, sewage and roads.
“Works are still underway to develop a new tourist area in Ur, next to the old city, following the parameters of Unesco,” Al-Khafaji underlines, “Four works are advancing: first, a complex for the interreligious dialogue, which will include a church, a mosque and a room that will connect the two areas, to be the center of the “tourist city”. Christian sources hope that these initiatives will strengthen the cohesion between believers of different religions, united under the same flag: Iraqi.
Scholars and experts define this project as a way to rebuild after the devastation of heritage caused by war and sectarian violence, starting precisely with places of worship. For researcher Ahmed Abdel-Hussein, the project that is emerging in Ur can be “a place where unity begins”, against the divisions and violence of the past, shelving “extremism and fanaticism”. Churches and mosques, Abdul-Hussein added, were attacked and demolished by extremist groups “who espouse radical ideologies.” Therefore, he concluded, “building a complex that includes religions will be an important response” to combat extremism and fanaticism, reinforcing the value of unity.
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