Why Student Ambassadors for Peace (SAP)-Iraq Chapter?

by

Mahdi Murad

The Student Ambassadors for Peace (SAP)-Iraq Chapter is one out of many other SAP chapters around the world. It aims “to bring peace by involving young people at all levels.”

The Student Ambassadors for Peace is a non-governmental, non­partisan organization created to represent and empower students globally.  It provides resources, forums, and other tools through which students can educate themselves about the issues affecting humanity, discuss these issues with their peers from around the world, and translate their views and ideas for addressing these issues into meaningful action. In addition Student Ambassadors for Peace serves as a useful forum to voice views of the Youth about a range of national and international issues.

Mahdi Murad, a senior Business Administration Major at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani, has been elected by the SAP founders as an International Officer of the SAP in Iraq and he recently established the Student Ambassadors for Peace (SAP) -Iraq Chapter. As an International Officer of the SAP, Murad works to open as many chapters as he can in almost all the Iraqi and Kurdistan universities, both public and private institutions. The Student Ambassadors for Peace constitution states the International Officer as,

International Officer works at Country Level. It is responsible of establishing different chapters in their country. Its main responsibility is to find potential youth for establishing chapters at university level. IO is completely autonomous in their activities. It can make its own team on country level. IO can appoint Chapter Presidents. IO is the highest authority of SAP at country level. IO has authority to make its own constitution according to demographic, political, social and psychological needs of that country. IO is answerable to Executive Director only. IO can sign memorandum of understandings with other youth organizations and help SAP to find partner organizations.

It is my honor, as one of the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani(AUIS) students, to take this responsibility. Moreover, I would like to take this opportunity to invite every single peace-lover in Kurdistan and Iraq to join this organization and help me bring the best out of it. Let’s join our hands together to shed the light of peace in every home and corner of the Iraqi provinces and Kurdistan. No matter if you are an Arab, Kurd, Turkumen, Assyrian, or a foreigner who lives in Kurdistan and Iraq. SAP is a tool that brings all of us with our differences to the table of negotiation.

I take this initiative to find better ways than fighting and using violence and force to get our rights in a very diverse society like Iraq, where different religious and ethnic groups live. It doesn’t matter what and how our parents and ancestors acted in the past. They might have fought and even killed each other. It was because that was the way to live at that time. Today as the youth community, we need to tell our parent, those who believe that “violence can be solved only through violence,” that it is nothing but peace to solve our problems. It is our responsibility as a young community in Iraq and Kurdistan to join our hands together and correct the mistakes that our politicians are making. We need to join our hands to bring a better life for our country. We, the people and Kurdistan and all other provinces in  Iraq, deserve a much better life than we have now. We need to find ways to escape our beloved country from issues like poverty, corruption, and insecurity. We can do it, but if we only accept each other with our religious and ethnic differences. So, I invite every peace-lover in Kurdistan and Iraq to join me and help me to promote the mission of this organization, “To bring peace by involving young people at all levels.”

It is worth mentioning that on October 3, 2013, the first chapter of the Student Ambassador for Peace (SAP)-Iraq Chapter was opened at the American University of Iraq, Sulaimani(AUIS). Details about the Student Ambassadors for Peace (SAP)-AUIS Chapter will soon be posted in the Third Eye.