Sheikh Al-Khazali: Iraq’s cultural identity is fixed and solid despite attempts to obliterate and distort it.

The General Secretary of the Asa’ib Ahl al-Haq, His Eminence Sheikh Qais Khazali, stressed that Iraq was and still is the target of the ambitions of external powers that sought to divide it and obliterate its cultural identity, noting that Iraq has been exposed throughout history to repeated occupations since the dawn of humanity, but its identity has remained constant despite all the challenges.
Sheikh Al-Khazali said in his speech during his attendance at the second conference of Al-Sadiqoon students held in the holy city of Karbala, that the projects that targeted Iraq tried to empty it of its comprehensive cultural identity, which led to the creation of a state of dispersion, stressing that the current war is a “war of identities”.
His Eminence explained that it is not possible to build a successful future for the state without a unified cultural identity that unites the Iraqi people with all their components. While he pointed out that Iraq possesses historical, civilizational, geographical and value-based commonalities that confirm the existence of a single, true cultural identity, he called for removing the dust from attempts to obliterate this identity and emphasizing the cultural commonality that unites the Iraqi people.
Sheikh Al-Khazali also pointed out that the Iraqi cultural identity is a solid fact, stemming from a common history and civilization, customs, values ​​and environment, adding: “We have our cultural identity that we are proud of, defend and preserve,” stressing that Iraq is not just a mixture of nationalities and components, but rather an entity with deep civilizational roots and an authentic cultural identity.
His Eminence called for the necessity of setting a clear definition of cultural identity, considering that the definition of the British scholar Edward Taylor, who sees it as including “knowledge, beliefs, art, morals, law, and customs,” is an accurate definition that reflects the cultural reality of Iraq.
His Eminence considered that “morals are an essential part of the cultural identity of Iraqis, and anyone who seeks to distort the morals of this people by importing deviant customs wants to destroy our cultural identity”.
Sheikh Al-Khazali stressed that there are Western attempts to spread deviation and decadence, considering it a direct targeting of the Iraqi cultural identity, stressing that Arab customs, specifically Iraqi ones, are part of this identity, noting that many Arab customs have clear Iraqi roots.
Speaking about authentic Iraqi values, His Eminence said: “Generosity is an Arab trait, but not all Arabs are generous, while all Iraqis are distinguished by this trait,” noting that generosity, courage, jealousy, and chivalry are deeply rooted Iraqi traits that cannot be found at the same level in other peoples.
Sheikh Al-Khazali concluded his speech by emphasizing that faith is an integral part of the identity of any people in the world, stressing that Iraqis possess an integrated cultural identity that must be preserved and protected from all attempts at distortion and targeting.