Chairman of the Communications and Media Commission meets with media professionals and bloggers from different countries and praises the ‘popular diplomacy’ of the Arbaeen visit

The Chairman of the Communications and Media Commission, Ali Al-Moayyad, met with a number of media professionals, bloggers and influencers from different countries, who participated in the "Globalization of the Arbaeen Pilgrimage" program adopted by the Commission. Al-Moayyad stressed in a statement that "the images that the world sees during the Arbaeen Pilgrimage of remarkable Iraqi generosity, societal harmony and rapprochement between different sects and religions are not just temporary scenes, but rather a lifestyle adopted by Iraqis, indicating that what happens in the Arbaeen Pilgrimage is a unique phenomenon worldwide." Al-Moayyad reviewed "the challenges that the Iraqi people have gone through since 2003, and how they were able to overcome them in the security, political and economic files, which made Iraq a model to be emulated in the region." He pointed to "the great role played by the holy shrines and the supreme religious authority in Najaf in preserving the unity and cohesion of Iraq, which was ignorant of sedition and destructive agendas." The head of the Commission explained that "the current government headed by Mohammed Shia al-Sudani has shown exceptional interest in the Arbaeen visit and other national occasions through continuous directives and great facilities that contribute to establishing a new mental image of Iraq and its people." Al-Muayyad stressed that "the biggest challenge facing Iraq was the media challenge, as various forces tried to form a negative stereotype about Iraq, but the annual maneuver for the "Arbaeen" visit and other occasions helped the Iraqi people overcome many pivotal challenges." He explained that the Commission seeks to adopt the media file for a number of occasions, with a special focus on the Arbaeen visit, which has become a "national" event before being a religious one." He stressed that "popular diplomacy" embodied in the Arbaeen visit contributed to strengthening international relations and popular reconciliation, which achieved a cross-border socie tal rapprochement that cannot be achieved under normal circumstances." During the meeting, Al-Muayyad listened to the participants' opinions on the developmental methods of the program and the role it can play in changing the mental image of Iraq and conveying a realistic image of the country and its people. Source: National Iraqi News Agency