Iraqi commentary accuses Foreign Ministry of departing from national, moral values

BAGHDAD, Iraq — A published commentary has accused senior officials at Iraq's Foreign Ministry of drifting away from national responsibility and moral values in recent statements, describing the language as sectarian and exclusionary toward the country's diverse components and beliefs. The article argued that the ministry's mandate is being repurposed to impose specific religious or ideological views on society, contradicting the Iraqi constitution, the Vienna Convention and the Geneva agreements, along with broader principles of international law and human rights. According to the commentary, such rhetoric threatens social cohesion in Iraq and could lay the groundwork for demographic change and forced displacement. The author also linked the current discourse to declining political standards in the United States and practices associated with the Trump era, which it said had emboldened such statements abroad. The writer stressed that Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein should not be identified with this discourse, calling him a figure known for a national stance. The commentary concluded by urging the Iraqi presidency, the prime minister's office, parliament, political parties, civil society organizations and the international community to condemn the language and take steps to counter it. No official response from the Foreign Ministry was reported.