The UNESCO Chair for Genocide Prevention Studies in the Islamic World at the College of Arts, University of Baghdad, organized—under the slogan “For a Future Free of Pain”—the Annual International Conference: Memory of Pain in Iraq: A Century of Crimes, Genocides, Massacres, and Violations, in cooperation with the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine, the Iraqi Center for Documenting Extremism Crimes, the Political Prisoners Foundation, the Higher National Commission for Accountability and Justice, and the Martyrs Foundation. The conference was held on the 16th and 17th of April of this year, and was attended by religious, political, and academic figures from Iraq, the Arab world, and other foreign countries, as well as families of the victims of the Speicher massacre and the Yazidis, in addition to a large gathering of interested individuals and intellectuals.

The opening ceremony, held at the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine in Imam al-Hassan Hall (peace be upon him), commenced with a recitation of verses from the Holy Qur’an, followed by the recitation of Surah Al-Fatiha for the souls of Iraq’s martyrs, the playing of the national anthem, and then a speech delivered by the Al-Abbas Holy Shrine representative, followed by a speech from the University of Baghdad delivered by the Dean of the College of Arts, Prof. Ali Abdulameer Sajit, Ph.D., and a speeches by the representatives of the Martyrs Foundation, Political Prisoners Foundation, and Higher National Commission for Accountability and Justice, after which a short film documenting A Hundred Years of Pain was screened.

A total of 90 research papers were selected to participate in the conference from among a large number of submissions received by the specialized scientific committees, and these were distributed across 13 thematic axes.

The main objectives of the conference were:

  1. To move beyond the past in order to build an Iraqi national identity resilient against extremism;
  2. To ensure a safe, pain-free future for coming generations;
  3. To internationalize documentation of extremist crimes and present them before global public opinion;
  4. To contribute to addressing the social and psychological impacts of violence, genocides, crimes, and violations.

The participation of the faculty members of the College of Arts in this conference came through their scientific research, chairing of sessions, and acting as rapporteurs, as follows:

  1. Salah Al-Jaberi, Ph.D., Chair of the UNESCO Chair for Genocide Prevention Studies in the Islamic World, participated as a researcher in the session on integrative strategies for preventing violent extremism, genocide documentation, promoting dialogue, and peacebuilding; he also presented research on the memory of the Speicher massacre, spatial memory, executions, and brutal violations, in addition to chairing one of the scientific sessions.
  2. Mahmoud Abdulwahid Al-Qaisi, Ph.D., participated as a researcher in the session on the memory of the Speicher massacre, spatial memory, executions, and brutal violations, and chaired one of the scientific sessions.
  3. Prof. Wurood Naji Al-Ardhi, Ph.D., served as rapporteur for a scientific session.
  4. Prof. Amal Abdullah Atiyah, Ph.D., also served as rapporteur for a scientific session.
  5. Prof. Dr. Jum’a Hariz Al-Tulibi, Ph.D. and Prof. Adel Shakir Waham, Ph.D., presented their joint research titled “The Contribution of Archaeology in Uncovering Mass Graves”, in addition to serving as rapporteurs for a scientific session.
  6. Sajad Hassan Alwan, Ph.D., presented his research titled “The Crimes of ISIS in Nineveh (2014–2016): A Documentary Study Based on Reports of the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights”.
  7. Lect. Ghaydaq Abdulmunem Muhammad Al-Rubaie presented his research titled “The Simele Massacre: Divergent Iraqi Memory”.

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