On August 27th, the Ambassador Marco Carnelos visited the Holy city of Najaf where he had a meeting with two of the most important members of Najaf’s Marja’iyya, the Grand Ayatollah Al-Fayyad and the Grand Ayatollah al-Hakim.
The fight against Daesh was at the centre of the discussions and the two religious remarked that its ideology is totally extraneous to Islam. The current Iraqi internal situation was also reviewed and the Ambassador pointed out Italy’s activities in support of Iraq. Finally, both the Grand Ayatollahs urged the Western countries to face this transition period with a new approach joining courage and the will to act with a bright vision.
Amb. Carnelos with the Grand Ayatollah al-Hakim
In the afternoon, the Ambassador met the Secretary General of Imam Ali Tomb, Seyyed Hashem Nizar, and the Director of External Relations of the Mosque, Dr. Zaid Al-Akaishy. They guided the Ambassador around the Imam Ali Holy Shrine, the third Holy Place for Shia Islam where the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad is buried. The visit was also the occasion for the directors of the Mosque to show the building’s restoration projects and to express the will that Italy may contribute, thanks to its famous expertise, to the protection and valorisation of the artistic and cultural heritage.
Amb. Carnelos with the Secretary General of Imam Ali Tomb, Seyyed Hashem Nizar
Then, the Ambassador met the Secretary of Al-Khoei Fundation, Jawad Al-Khoei, together with some scholars and ulama of the University of Kufa. The leitmotif of the visit was the great communality, also acknowledged by the interlocutors, of spirit and teachings between the Shia and the Christian Catholic thought. During the conversation, Ambassador Carnelos briefly spoke about the current Iraqi internal situation and mentioned the extent of Italian commitment in favour of Iraq, a multidisciplinary commitment that consists of assistance to IDPs, archaeology competence-sharing, Iraqi security forces and police training and much more. Al-Khoei and the other members of the Fundation were fully appraised of the Italian aid extent and structure and thanked for the Italian friendship, hoping for more attention for their territory.
Amb. Carnelos with the Secretary of Al-Khoei Fundation, Jawad Al-Khoei,
and some scholars and ulama of the University of Kufa.
