Religious leaders from several communities across Iraq have released a joint statement to collectively highlight their commitment towards peace, and show solidarity to the victims of crimes committed by the so-called Islamic State, Vatican News reported on Wednesday. 

The interfaith document is a major step forward not just in dialogue but towards peacful coexistance as well. This is the first instance that religious leaders of Iraq sign a joint statement which simbolizes unity and resolution. 

The commitment of religious authorities also condemn the brutalities and violence of Islamic State that Iraq had to endure.

“(It is) contrary to the core principles of our religious faiths as well as the fundamental values of humanity”, the statement says.

As Vatican News noted, the document has a special focus on victims of sexual and gender-based crimes, the religious leaders expressed their commitment to “ensuring that survivors of such crimes are fully supported and do not suffer from any form of stigmatization.”

The United Nations has greeted the document as “the beginning of a process of further engagement with other religious leaders in Iraq”. 

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