Ali Sahib (33 years) is one of the ambassadors of PAX’s Kulluna Muwatinun (‘We Are All Citizens’) program in the Samawa-province in Iraq, and as an activist specialized in peace and nonviolent protest. He holds a Master Degree in Human Rights from the Arab University for Human Rights and Nonviolence in Beirut, and currently resides in Muthanna (Samawa-province). Ali regularly provides free lectures in the Muthanna University and Al Sadek University on Human Rights. He supports campaigns to build a new peaceful Iraq and has recently been involved in offering assistance in refugee camps in Northern Iraq.
His main aim is to educate people about minority rights, since the division between the different sectarian groups are still very present. Ali himself belongs to the Shia community, the majority in Iraq and especially in the southern part of the country. Due to a lack of good education and upbringing many people are very biased towards other ethnic/religious communities, which causes stereotyping, conflict and violation of human rights. Ali wants to inform people, and mainly the people from his own Shia community, that one’s identity is not terminated by religion or ethnic background. From organizing theater plays for young children to attending United Nation’s forums on Minority Rights, Ali wants to create an equal approach towards Iraqi citizens on every level.
