Hussein Abbaka, Grade 11
UWCEA Arusha
Not accepting others’ differences is a big problem we’re facing these days in Iraq. As we all know, diversity builds a great structure to communities: by contributing different flavors from each culture to create a new, stronger one. Diversity drives creation and innovation, and making someone proud of being different will open many doors that otherwise remain locked. Not accepting the fact that each of us is different and disgracing differences will lead to many other significant problems such as intolerance, discrimination, etc., which are all affected by our acceptance of each other’s differences.
By accepting others who have different cultures, we can shape a new identity by learning from them. Creativity and innovation are influenced by diversity, and lack of it would lead to problems we’re facing; intolerance is an excellent example, and the list goes on...
Nowadays, we see people being afraid of thinking differently. They believe one must follow the beliefs that they are born with, and not obeying them might get one eliminated in some cases.
Many people now in Iraq might think that they can’t visit some places, it might be because of their religious/sectarian difference, why? For reasons of old conflicts, different points of view, which must be treated, and we’re the ones who’re going to make that change.
A month ago, we were in Kurdistan of Iraq, and I wanted to visit my friend in Mosul, but my father disapproved because “Mosul is a city for Sunnis only and it’s not safe for us to go there,” he said.
Fighting those extreme ideas by spreading awareness about the importance of accepting each other’s differences throughout sessions and workshops like what I’ve done with Alamal Association and others would change a lot because ideas cannot be erased but only can be displaced. We all know that we can’t destroy the cultural norms/stereotypes a society breeds, but what we really can do is gradually change those norms, replace the bad with the good. Changing a whole community requires starting with yourself.
Image Courtesy: https://www.diversityinc.com/whatisdiversitymorethanmeetstheeye/
By accepting others who have different cultures, we can shape a new identity by learning from them. Creativity and innovation are influenced by diversity, and lack of it would lead to problems we’re facing; intolerance is an excellent example, and the list goes on...
Nowadays, we see people being afraid of thinking differently. They believe one must follow the beliefs that they are born with, and not obeying them might get one eliminated in some cases.
Many people now in Iraq might think that they can’t visit some places, it might be because of their religious/sectarian difference, why? For reasons of old conflicts, different points of view, which must be treated, and we’re the ones who’re going to make that change.
A month ago, we were in Kurdistan of Iraq, and I wanted to visit my friend in Mosul, but my father disapproved because “Mosul is a city for Sunnis only and it’s not safe for us to go there,” he said.
Fighting those extreme ideas by spreading awareness about the importance of accepting each other’s differences throughout sessions and workshops like what I’ve done with Alamal Association and others would change a lot because ideas cannot be erased but only can be displaced. We all know that we can’t destroy the cultural norms/stereotypes a society breeds, but what we really can do is gradually change those norms, replace the bad with the good. Changing a whole community requires starting with yourself.
Image Courtesy: https://www.diversityinc.com/whatisdiversitymorethanmeetstheeye/
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