After the very well-attended inaugural reception, held at the British Museum at the end of November 2007, the Society took time to complete the formalities of registration as a charity. However in April 2008, the Society has moved ahead towards its goal of establishing itself as a worthwhile medium for improving mutual understanding between Britain and Iraq, but we are aware that much remains to be done. In particular we need to widen our appeal to the British public through a programme of events that enhances in the popular imagination Iraq’s cultural heritage, which despite its richness remains far less well known than other countries in the Middle East. We also need to demonstrate the opportunities for building a new relationship between the two countries in the future. Your Committee has been working to this end and I shall develop later some of our ideas, on which we welcome your views. But first let me review our past activities.

Past programme

In April last year the Society honoured Professor Adel Sharif, an internationally recognised expert in water technology at Surrey University and a member of the Royal Society, for his work in the field of water desalination by presenting him with a plaque at a reception held at the Royal Society. In December we arranged a private viewing for members and guests at the British Museum of the exhibition ‘Babylon – Myth and Reality’, which was followed by a reception. In February this year we organised with the British Museum a very successful evening’s programme of events ranging from a fashion parade to a demonstration of Arabic calligraphy and Arabic and Kurdish Music. In March Dr John Curtis, Director of the Middle East Department at the British Museum gave a panoramic view of Britain’s involvement in Iraq’s archaeology in a talk entitled ‘The archaeology of Iraq in war and peace’. In April, Sir Terence Clark, former British Ambassador to Iraq and Vice Chairman of this Society, spoke about the history of the British in Iraq from 1635 to 1958.  Last month I talked to the Society on the theme of ‘The changing face of Iraqi politics’ about the present political scene in Iraq and future prospects.

Membership

            The membership continues to grow and at present stands at 94 members, including 76 individual members, 16 joint members and 2 corporate members. We need to increase the numbers significantly and I call on you to encourage your friends and acquaintances to join us.

 

 Web site

            The web site is up and running and you can find out details of the Society’s events at www. britishiraqi.com