Our Party
Ahrar is a completely new party for all Iraqis—whether Sunni, Shia, Kurd or Turkmen. We are less a political party, and more a movement of people who want to join together to rebuild our country. What we have in common is our belief in Iraq’s shared history, and our common destiny. We share a vision of a dignified life for everyone in our country. We want to see an Iraq founded on hope, not fear; we believe that poverty and terrorism are not Sunni, Shia or Kurdish concerns—they are Iraqi concerns.
Ahrar is a popular movement, because we believe our best hope lies in our people, not politicians, who have let us down through corruption and incompetence. Our political system is broken. We want to take Iraq’s future in our own hands, whether young or old; man or woman; of whatever religion or sect. What unites us is more important than what divides us.
Many politicians now say that they are for secularism and unity, but they use religion and government for their own ends. They trade their people for political positions, and their principles for power. Ahrar is different. Our leader—Ayad Jamal AlDin—has always campaigned for these beliefs, and he has risked his life to do so. He has always stood for unity—and for One Iraq.
Ahrar was created in order to liberate our government from corruption; to liberate religion from the state; and to bring the Iraqi people together to liberate them from the tyranny of violence and poverty.
Why should people vote for Ahrar?
We are the only true grassroots movement of the Iraqi people. Our laws are transparent and they guarantee full equality to every Iraqi citizen, regardless of sex, ethnicity, sect, age or wealth.
We are the only people to have consistently stood against the corruption that infects every aspect of Iraqi life—the Iranian influence; the violence on our streets; the lack of jobs; the inadequate schools and hospitals; the poor electricity supply and the lack of clean water. A transparent, strong and publically accountable government is the foundation for tackling all of these issues.
Ahrar is the only party which has a plan for dealing with the sea of poverty that surrounds our cities. We want to enforce the constitution that says every penny of our oil wealth should be used for the development and service of the Iraqi people. A vote for Ahrar is a vote for a strong, unified government that can deliver action on these issues right now.
If you believe Iraq should be free from Iranian, American or any other outside interference, you should vote for Ahrar.
If you believe that it is a tragedy that anyone should go thirsty in the land of the two rivers, and that Iraq’s oil should immediately be used to improve public services, you should vote for Ahrar.
If you believe in One Iraq - that our future should be shared, secure and secular, and if you believe that every Iraqi deserves to live with peace, tolerance and respect, you should vote for Ahrar.
Who can join Ahrar?
Ahrar is the most inclusive political movement Iraq has seen—anybody can join us, no matter where they are from. Our only condition is that you must be honourable, and not have been convicted of theft or murder. We don’t seek power—we seek to bring Iraq’s people together, to create our own solutions to the crises affecting Iraq’s water, electricity and jobs.
We especially want to see women join our movement. Women in Iraq have a wonderful history, and we believe they are the key to Iraq’s future. They are the partners of men, not their subordinates, and if we create strong roles for women—in education, healthcare, law and industry—then all communities will benefit. We can only succeed if every person—not just every man, every person—is joining together to help our country.
There is also a special role for young people in Ahrar. Unemployment is a crisis across Iraq, with a fifth of people out of work. But under the age of thirty, this rises to one in three. We are running the risk of creating a generation of young people who are poor, dispossessed and angry. We cannot afford to let that happen. We need real action on farming, shepherding, manufacturing and education, in order to put the youth of Iraq back to work.
We are also reaching out to Iraq’s diaspora. We are saying to the four million people who have fled our country, ‘we need you’. They might not want to return home right now, but they can still make their voice heard at this election. They can still choose transparency over corruption; security over sectarianism, and One Iraq over division. They can vote for Ahrar.