Shiites and Sunnis seek to halt the violence in Iraq

Yesterday Nearly 50 Iraqi scholars from both the Shiite and Sunni communities in Iraq came together to put the finishing touches on a document that calls for ending the fratricidal carnage in Iraq.

Iraq Ulema Seek Reconciliation

The meeting tonight at the royal palace in Makkah that overlooks the Holy Kaaba is being held under the auspices of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Expectations in the Muslim street are high but analysts doubt if the accord will have any positive impact.

This story has yet to be picked up by the MSM for obvious reasons, no surprise there. And there are plenty of reasons to believe this action will not lead to any positive results but I believe the fact that they see a problem and are willing to try to do something about it is very newsworthy and should be commended!

“The document is aimed at ending bloodshed among Muslims in Iraq and putting an end to the sectarian fighting and the terrorizing of the innocent people there,” said Mahdi Fathallah, the director of OIC’s political affairs

“The sectarian fighting in Iraq has caused a great deal of concern, not only for the Iraqi people but for all Muslims,” he said. “It, therefore, became incumbent upon the Ummah to try and defuse the situation,” he added, pointing out the Qur’anic injunction that says: “If two parties among the believers fall into a quarrel, make peace between them.”

According to Fathallah, the meeting has no political agenda. “It is not a conference, a symposium, a debate, a discussion or a form of negotiation. It is simply a meeting of ulema (religious scholars) from both communities,” he said. “They have come together to underline the importance of unity and to help stop the spilling of Muslim blood in the streets of Iraq.”

Whether or not this has any impact at all is really a side issue, this is good news for people here in the U.S. it’s important for the folks to understand that the majority of people in Iraq want to end the bloodshed from all sides or sects in there homeland. To borrow from the piece:

“The OIC has at long last become involved in an effort to end the bloodshed in Iraq. The alarming situation in the country requires the urgent attention and constructive engagement of all of the region’s multilateral organizations, which have been slow to respond to the intensifying crisis,”

While we debate about how best to adjust our involvement to win in Iraq it’s good to see some effort being made by the Iraqis. After all it’s their country, their sisters and brothers, their daughters and sons, their moms and pops that have a chance at a new start and that goal is achievable if they want it bad enough to come together and fight for it!