Peacemakers

Iraq has been difficult, to say the least. There have been mistakes made on all sides and plenty of blame, fingerpointing and accusations to go all the way around. That being said, I believe that Iraq will end up having peace and the US led invasion will end up baring fruit. Why do I believe that?...because the bible tells us that the city of Babylon will have a major role on earth in the last days before Christ returns. Please take note...not before He returns for His church (rapture), but before he returns on earth to usher in the millenium. There is NOTHING further that needs to happen for Christ to come for his bride. The rapture is imminent.
I just recieved an email from Bud McFarland who used to be in the Reagan White House and is now very involved in the Iraqi peace process. It appears that the sunnis and shias of Iraq are realizing that they have to take responsiblity for the human suffering that THEY are causing among their own people. They are not blaming the suffering on the US troops that are there. This sure seems to be good news, but the reluctance to ban suicide bombing on all sides is not good news. Here is the email:


Dear Friends,
Last week I participated in the fourth gathering of senior Iraqi religious leaders. This meeting was held in Cairo from March 12-15.
I came away with mixed feelings. Based upon the commitment at the close of last August's session at which all participants agreed to work toward the drafting and publication of a Joint Fatwa condemning violence, calling for the disarament of all militias, and making it clear that suicide does not qualify for martyrdom, I was disappointed. No draft had been developed due to that work being preempted by the compact agreed upon last September between Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and Sunni Vice President Tariq Al Hashemi. The compact set forth 25 principles that the two sides agreed ought to govern a process of rapprochement between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq and clearly represents a step forward (e.g. tolerance of religious differences, a call for non-violent resolution of disputes, equal opportunity in the work place). Further, since last August, the co-chairs of the process -- Sunnni Sheikh Dr. Abdul Latif HUMAYEEM (former personal Imam to Saddam Hussein), and Ayatollah Sayed Ammar Abou RAGHEEF (Grand Ayatollah Ali SISTANI's Chief of Staff), have been meeting every two weeks to try to define how best to bring the two major religious communities closer together. These meetings were profoundly important in producing the gains that did occur at the meeting last week.
The meeting was notable for two reasons -- the standing and influence of the participants, and the profound change in their apparent commitment to accelerating the pace of reconciliation among the three religious communities. Regarding the former, I was very encouraged that Moqtada al SADR, leader of the Mahdi Army, chose to send an emissary. The active participation of his designee, Sheikh Salah al Obaidi, offers hope that the Sadr-ists may be considering participation in Iraq's political process and turning away from the violent pursuit of their aims
I was also immensely encouraged by the substance of what was actually said by the Sunni and Shia leaders at this gatherhing. The evident change in tone, the absence of complaints about others, and the acceptance of responsibility for shaping the future were the first instances of realism and responsibility that I have witnessed. That tone is perhaps best captured by a simple excerpt from the transcript of the meetings.
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Ayatollah Sayed Ammar Abou Ragheef -- "Today in Iraq we (religious leaders) are facing an ethical crisis, a human crisis called sectarianism that is responsible for profound inequity, injustice and suffering. Some say that it is the occupation that causes sectarianism, some say that the secular system we have lived under worked. But the truth is that factionalism has its origins in the 2nd caliphate. It was then that the schism was created that endures to this day. Baghdad was partitioned by the Abbasids and division has been nurtured by Iraqis since that time. And the truth is that this schism was not nurtured by our ancestors on theological grounds; they advocated sectarianism as a culture.
"The only way that we will overcome this history is to move from sectarianism to the rule of law. Realistically there is little prospect of our being able to enact a just framework of law until we -- we clerics -- establish a climate of mutual trust and respect. And the only way we can establish such a climate is by creating a series of concrete confidence-building projects in which Sunnis and Shias work together to improve the welfare of both communities."
Sheikh Dr. Abdul Latif Humayeem -- "We brought this crisis on ourselves. This shared cult of sectarianism bobby-traps our society. Throughout history we have nurtured factionalism -- first through differing interpretations of the Quran, then by making these differences sacred, and inviolate. Then comes fanaticism and blind, unreasoned violence. It is urgent that we, the leaders of Iraq's religious communities, lead a move away from this depraved culture of sectarianism toward a culture of unity as an Iraqi nation."
Sheikh Salah al Obeidi -- "For the occupation to end we must stop sectarian violence. When the central government encourages sectarianism, it makes it more difficult to overcome. Further, for religious leaders to justify their position on the basis of having the exclusive support of God makes it harder still. Instead we must focus our attention on creating a basis for confidence among brothers of all sects.
"In order to rebuild the country, we must start with security -- an end to violence. We must also have a trained national army and police force. And this can only happen after we -- Sunnis and Shia -- enter a genuine rapprochement."
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I want to thank you for your prayers throughout the past year and ask that you continue them. I believe that this process has huge potential and is beginning to truly change hearts and minds.
Best regards,
Bud