A variety of Iraq's political parties have a presence in Ninawa province. Among them is the Islamic Vanguard Party (Hizb al-Tali'a al-Islami), whose armed wing Saraya al-Khorasani is the 18th brigade of the Hashd Sha'abi Commission. On 11 September 2020, I conducted an interview with Sayyid Muhammad Al Badran al-Mousawi, official of the media committee for the Islamic Vanguard Party in Ninawa province, which is headed by office director Faysal Al Badran al-Mousawi (the engineer). The interview is slightly edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: What are the kinds of activities that the party undertakes in Ninawa province?
A: In the beginning in the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful: the aim that we strive for is to establish a conciliatory society that deals with the person on the basis that is a human being, regardless of the sect or religion, as well as participating in resolving of the conflict that occurs between the sons of the tribes in some of the regions in which the tribal society is dominant. Also we participate in offering services through coordination with the service offices in the province. This is a general overview of our work in the province.
Q: What are the services that the party has offered?
A: The services that the Islamic Vanguard Party offers to Ninawa province. We are the servants of our good people in Iraq in general and Ninawa province in particular, which suffered what it suffered in the time of the control of the terrorist Da'esh organisation. After putting reliance in God there is the choosing of the scientific competencies and the sheikhs and notables, all of them according to their specialities. For example: the group of the sheikhs and the tribes, their mission is to intervene in the tribal conflicts, contribute to spreading harmony and affection, spreading the spirit of affection and brotherhood, bringing closer the points of view, and spreading the understanding of treatment in accordance with the principle of humanitarianism, regardless of ethnicity, madhhab or religion.
The group of competencies: they are an elite of professors, teachers and lecturers. We participate in establishing courses of teaching of reading and writing in order to eliminate the percentage figures of illiteracy.
The health group: they are a group of health cadres, whose work is in offering aid to those of modest means through caring for them and treating them for free and offering medical guidances.
The youth and sport group: they are a group of sports people, whose work is to establish competitions for the different divisions of sport like football, martial arts, self defence, Jeet Kune Do and others.
And likewise the rest of the groups.
Q: In general how do you assess the services and humanitarian situation in Mosul?
A: The services situation in Ninawa province in general is proceeding step-by-step towards the better. In general things are very good. The humanitarian situation: praise be to God Ninawa province for a long time is a province in which all the sects live as brothers with mutual affection as the one body, standing today as we are linked by Iraq. And there is no difference between so-and-so and so-and-so.
Q: What are the biggest challenges in terms of the services and humanitarian situation?
A: The challenges: there is nothing impossible but the proportion of the current damage to the infrastructure is great and may the expended efforts of the services cadres be blessed: every office according to its name and according to its speciality. With the coordination of the efforts we can restore the province to a state of affairs better than before.
Q: Can we say that the biggest problem is the lack of availability of money for reconstruction?
A: Yes of course, but we cannot deny the efforts expended by the services offices because they expend the greatest effort night and day to improve the services situation.
Q: Some of the people complain about problems of extortion by armed groups and gangs. What is your comment on these words?
A: No information has reached me about this situation, but the security command and security apparatuses work night and day to preserve the bounty of security and safety, and the greatest evidence is that the people move about into late hours of time: i.e. which shows that the information is wrong.
Q: Okay. Finally do you have a message for the international community regarding the situation in Ninawa?
A: My message to the international community: we send a message of affection and regards to every state that has had a role in offering aid whether military or other fields. And we affirm that Ninawa province has returned and we call on them to visit us to view Ninawa's civilisation: Umm al-Rabi'ayn.