Halabja Hosts Academic Sessions on Combating Drugs and Extremism

Kurdistan 01:18 PM - 2026-10-17

Halabja has hosted two academic sessions organised by the Kurdistan Region's Asayish.

Halabja has hosted two academic sessions organised by the Kurdistan Region Security Agency (Asayish) in cooperation with the College of Law and Administration and the Centre for Genocide Studies at the University of Halabja.

The sessions addressed the dangers of drugs and strategies to counter them, while also exploring the role of tolerance and coexistence in curbing extremist ideology and safeguarding social peace.

Combating Drugs Through Collective Action

The first session, titled “Drugs: The Peril of Our Time – A Collective Responsibility”, focused on the spread of drugs, approaches to tackling drug-related offences, and the roles of security, legal and religious institutions in preventing the problem and addressing its consequences.

Discussions covered statistics on drug-related crimes, the Asayish’s efforts to combat them, the importance of legislation, and the need to provide treatment and rehabilitation for people experiencing addiction.

Participants also highlighted the role of religious institutions and clergy in raising public awareness of the dangers of drugs and encouraging collective responsibility for prevention.

The session stressed that tackling drugs requires more than security and legal measures. It called for coordinated efforts involving government institutions, universities, religious bodies and the wider community, with an emphasis on prevention and rehabilitation alongside the prosecution of drug-related offences.

Promoting Tolerance and Coexistence

The second session, titled “Extremist Ideology and Promoting a Culture of Tolerance and Coexistence”, explored ways to counter extremism and strengthen peaceful coexistence as a means of preventing radicalisation and maintaining social stability.

Discussions addressed the roles of the judiciary and law enforcement in confronting extremist ideology, the importance of promoting coexistence, and the responsibility of security institutions to protect social stability and encourage pluralism among the different components of society.

Participants also emphasised the need to develop critical awareness and foster dialogue, mutual understanding and tolerance.

The session examined the role of Kurdistan Region Law No. 5 of 2015, which protects the rights of the region’s components, in combating hate speech and protecting social diversity from rhetoric that promotes discrimination and division.

Coordinated Efforts to Protect Society

The two sessions highlighted the importance of combining security, legal and preventive measures to address drug-related problems, extremism and hate speech.

They also underlined the contribution of academic, religious and community institutions to raising awareness and promoting tolerance and peaceful coexistence as essential elements of a stable society.



PUKMEDIA