Foreign minister delivers Iraq's speech during the ancient civilizations forum in Athens

Foreign minister Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari said in a speech he delivered during the ancient civilizations forum in Athens, that Iraq is the first civilization in the world, and it is seven thousand years from now was the birth of the civilization in the world, it was in the Mesopotamia of southern Iraq from Omara, Nasiriya and Al-Basra and other regions.

His Excellency added that when we talk about civilization, we then talk about the centers of Intellectual and humanitarian power which Allah created in humans, and made it the source of goodness to build the earth.

The civilization started from very early time in these countries, and must move in a continuous way, and spread its shadow over the other states, and we must know that nearness and farness is not by ground but by principles, humanity, morals and interests, this is the new world, and like this must be the human which holds the banner of civilization.

Dr. Ibrahim Al-Jaafari explained that "terrorism is threatening our civilization, Iraq is the first civilization, has destroyed by Da'esh gangs, and destroyed human soul and destroyed the intellectual identity, what has happened in Al-Mosul and Ur? How Da'esh targeted them and tried to destroy them? And what Da'esh is doing now not only destroying Iraq, but also targeting the civilization depth and the civilized future, and targeting your countries, as those terrorists don't differentiate a state from another, they want to kill civilization, everything which is based on culture, and the cultural enemy is the most dangerous enemy.

His Excellency called "we have to increase our efforts to save our real civilization, and make the new civilization according to human rights and spread it, and don't stop on the civil aspects, we must spread the appearance of civilization, everything which is related to human, respect human, respect childhood, respect woman, respect aging, and respect all humanity.

The Speech of the Iraqi Minister of Foreign Affairs at the Forum of Ancient Civilizations held in Athens, Greece

In the Name of God, The most beneficent, the Most Merciful.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.
I would like to thank the President of the Republic for his excellent words, and for his outstanding contribution to his personality. I extend my thanks and appreciation to my friend, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Greece, as well as to the Foreign Minister of China and all the attendees.
At the beginning of my speech, I would like to say that what brings us together in this hall is the cultural originality we enjoy.

Civilization has emerged long time ago and has spread its shadow over these countries, but it should not depend on them and must move continuously, and spread its shadow over other countries.
Iraq is the cradle of civilization in the world. So far seven thousand years have passed since the birth of civilization in the world. It was from Mesopotamia, from the southern regions of Iraq, from Amarah, Nasiriyah, Basra and other areas. This is a fact. At the same time, The banner of Civilization had been distributed to different regions of the world in various sections of history from two thousand years before the birth of Christ 600 to 480 BC 120 years ago, five stars (figures) emerged in the skies of civilization: Buddha, Herodotus, Pythagoras, Zoroaster and Confucius in 120 years. Emerged in various regions of the world, and carried the banner of civilization.

When we talk about civilization, we talk about the intellectual strengths and humanity created by God in the hearts of Humanity and make them a source of good for the reconstruction of the earth, and we have a text in the Koran indicates that God - blessed and Exalted - created us different: ((O people we created you male and female And made you peoples and tribes)) {Al Hujurrat/ 13}

We are different not by our own hand, but God created us so .. us white, we are colored, we are Asian, we are African, we are European, we are Australian.

This is what is meant by God's will, but this difference is to know, not to intersect, nor to fight, or to be estranged. Let us be so, so that life will be varied and integrated with each other. There is a saying of the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him and his family, The Arabs on the island in Mecca, and pointed with his hand, and said to them: ((Go to Abyssinia where the king does not oppress anyone)) .. Thus the human being of the banner of civilization as he extends his vision to the world's most; to find in geographical distance soon in thought, in values. We should not divide the world today on a distant and near-earth, but distant and close to values, humanity, morality, and interests. This is the new world.
Imam Ali (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "People are one of two: either your brother is in religion, or you are equal in creation." It is enough for a person to resemble the other person with his mind, emotions, heart, and everything. It should be protected even if it is from another religion, from another continent, or from another land. We must uphold it.
The leader of human justice Imam Ali - peace be upon him - proves this fact ...

I would like to prove here that China is one dawn of civilization states, as one of the British prime ministers, Francis Bakun, was a philosopher and prime minister: three inventions that changed the face of the world: magnets, the secret of sailing, maritime trade, gunpowder, Paper, The secret of understanding and communication.
I do not know whether he knew or did not know that the paper and gunpowder originated in China. So I remember the words of the Prophet of Islam - may Allah bless him and his family -: "Seek knowledge even if it is in China." Since then, Every human being must seek the resources of science away from the earth, away from language, away from nationalism, and even away from religion. Seek knowledge even if it is in the extreme world.
These were features, seeds of civilized thought that were planted early on.
My brothers .. Differences are not heresy but is a natural issue, which is the secret of magnificence, and aesthetic diversity .. If all roses were one color it will not attract the human.
Color, diversity and the secret of civilization, the secret of attracting beauty; to be colored, and this is a component of strength, not a component of weakness.
Today, our civilization is under threat, and contemporary terrorism threatens the civilization as the whole. Iraq - the cradle of civilization - has been subjected to a state of vandalism at the hands of the evildoers, the destruction of the human psyche, the futility of its intellectual identity, and the attempt to defeat heritage and cultural heritage.
What happened in the city of Mosul, the city of Ur?
How targeted Daesh, and tried to destroy it? We must intensify our efforts to preserve our true civilization; as long as civilization aims at humanity as a goal to serve it, and it assesses the new present on the basis of respect for the rights of people, we must promote them, not just as civil phenomena. Civil phenomena are different from civilizational phenomena, Lexus, Mercedes, Boeing and other industries. These are civil phenomena that reflect the economic power and reflect power in technology, but they are not cultural phenomena. Civilizational phenomena When we strengthen UNESCO, defend human rights, respect children, And respect the existing pluralism. These are cultural phenomena.
You see now as we walk in the street flags, where we find the sign of the cross, the sign of the crescent, the sign of sickle and hammer, all referring to the thought. These phenomena of civilization involve thought, and civil phenomena refer to technology that develops over time and may end.We must spread the phenomenon of civilization. Everything has to do with human beings, respect human, respect children, respect women, respect aging, respect every single word of humanity should adhere to
Samuel Huntington came to us with the clash of civilizations.
What does this mean?
Why do civilizations collide?
Why not replace the clash of civilizations with the harmony of civilizations?
What is the purpose of civilization?
Did not civilization start from man !?
Every civilization does not emanate from the man should not claim to be a civilization .. Yes, it may be civil, but it is not civilization.
Was not it the creation of human happiness, and the fight against poverty ?!
Today, people suffer from diseases, ignorance, hunger, racial discrimination, the division of the world on the basis of the world of the North, the world of the South, the world of the North, 20% of the wealth, 80% of the world. We mobilize all our energies to confront them.
When do we place the world in new civilized spaces in which man respects man regardless of all considerations?
It is time for the countries of origin and the cultural origin represented by these countries to shape the new path of civilization and to promote a cultural culture that distinguishes between human beings only to the extent that it is more productive, more productive and more humane.
We look forward to this conference to draw the parameters of cultural harmony, love, and new civilizational brotherhood.

My brothers. The goal of every civilization is the human and not just the human; And as long as this is the goal, we must adhere to, and defend it, and preserve this civilization; to walk from the bank of departure from these countries; To end to a permanent bank circulates its resources, and culture of all peoples of the earth .
What is being done today in Iraq is not targeting Iraq, it is targeting the cultural depth, targeting the civilized future, and targeting your countries; because these gangs do not distinguish between countries and others. They want to assassinate culture. Everything is based on culture. No building and civilized civilization were built only on culture, and no enemy more dangerous than the cultural enemy.
We are invited not only to be the countries of originality of civilization but to be countries of cultural renewal. No authenticity without renewal, nor renewal without authenticity, there is no originality does not renew itself over time, as no one respects himself, and wants to keep up with time, And renewed with time without sticking to its first thread, and its old authenticity and these were available in our civilizations.
I wish you all the best ..Once again, I extend my thanks and appreciation to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Greece, as well as to the Minister for Foreign Affairs of China.

Peace, mercy, and blessings of God be upon you.