The Director General of Syriac Culture and Arts in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region, Kaldo Ramzi Oghanna, who is participating in the activities of the International Religious Freedom Conference IRFSummit2024, held in Washington, DC, confirmed that the disappearance of Christians from Iraq also threatens the disappearance of the country’s cultural identity.
On Tuesday 30 January 2024, Oghanna participated in the sessions of the World Religious Freedom Conference and spoke about the Middle East through the eyes of minorities. During his speech, he referred to the intellectual and cultural renaissance to which Christians in Iraq contributed by creating a diverse cultural identity in the country.
Oghanna added, “With the disappearance of Christians from Iraq, this cultural identity that characterises a diverse Iraq will be threatened with disappearance,” noting that “the Christian community and minorities are faced with several options; either to live under a radical authoritarian regime or to have some kind of self-administration to manage their affairs themselves and with their participation… The truth is in the decision.”
On the other hand, Oghanna spoke about what the Kurdistan Regional Government’s Ministry of Culture is offering, and its steady move toward the process of consolidating the concepts of diversity through its General Directorate of Syriac Culture and Arts.
For the period of 30-31 January 2024, the American capital Washington hosted the International Religious Freedom Conference (IRFSummit 2024), with the participation of international human rights and religious institutions. It was recognised during the conference that 80% of the world’s population suffers from religious discrimination.
On the sidelines of the conference, Oghanna received an invitation to participate in the American National Prayer Breakfast, which will be held tomorrow, Thursday, with the participation of leaders and representatives from 140 countries from all over the world.
