Friends of Democracy

The "Yes" And The "No", Democratizing The National Choice.

By Sabah.

Good Morning my friends and people,

This lovely Saturday morning, referendum day, over 15 million Iraqi citizens, of various political, ethnical, and -I hate to mention this-sectarian backgrounds are preparing to voice their opinions on the constitution draft. It is truly a historic day.

Before everything, I would like to point out that today's "Yes", or "No", is far better than the dreaded "Yes" of the past. Far from being emotional, I also wish to express the inner conflict I was experiencing, as others did, in regard to my self-confidence and peace of mind over making my democratic choice of "Yes" or "No". All the pain and the wounds of the past years went
through my mind as I was heading to the polling station, following the examples of my brothers, friends and people.

Through a quick examination of the Iraqi political scene starting from the fall of the former regime and all the developments, chaos and confusion that followed, reaching the constitution drafting process and the referendum, the independent observer cannot help but realize that the major players in Iraqi politics following the American occupation were not at a level of maturation
to be qualified for a practical implementation of such a grand experiment, one that Iraqis have been craving for over half a century.

What we experienced was an extreme tendency, by certain powers, to push the Iraqi citizen to either ratify or to reject, without being given the chance to understand the reasons of making such choices in the first place. We did not see anyone clearing the ambiguity which surrounded the constitution drafting process. So while it was necessary to vote with a Yes in order to
avoid the problematic return to the starting point, with hopes that the constitution would be improved and amended as we move on, the situation dictated that a choice of No was a far more positive one to review past political practices and to avoid being pulled behind temperamental
interpretations of sensitive and controversial issues which would threaten to deepen the divide and to extend it.

Most political parties failed in educating and enlightening the Iraqi citizen in this constitutional process. The Iraqi citizen was not prepared to digest this new practice which implies respecting the other side and accepting it as an active participant to the reconstruction of the new Iraq.
Instead, the mentioned political parties concentrated on what would benefit them temporarily, not on what would benefit Iraqis as a whole in the present and in the future. It was like someone putting the carriage in front of the horse. As a result, Iraqis were left confused again.

And by the admission of all that such a constitution was delivered through Caesarean section because of the impatience following the ongoing violence which tore the Iraqi body apart, added to the tendency of neighboring countries to act as spectators for undisguised reasons, mostly sectarian in origin. No wonder, since sectarianism and factionalism continue to threaten Iraqi unity, as it has for decades.

I was among those who wished to see deep-rooted Iraqi political parties investing the democratic experience, applying it to the constitutional referendum by educating the Iraqi citizen on the benefits and drawbacks of both the Yes and the No. It was also evident that this constitutional draft
needed at least another three months for further scrutiny and understanding, this is most true when the constitution is originally tailored to serve the Iraqi people as a whole, NOT the political elite.

The tensions and confusion increased among the major players, particularly those who had  preconceived positions and rushed their Yes or No, even before distributing copies of the constitution draft to their followers and without understanding the implications of the final additions made just hours before the referendum.

It was also painful for me to see the most senior Islamic cleric in Iraq also pushing a choice of "Yes" alone, disregarding the democratic side of the constitutional process as well as disregarding his own statements made recently in which he confirmed that clerics would not intervene in politics
and elections, a mistake which allowed certain political parties to triumph during the last elections.

This was also crowned by the speech made by the Iraqi president, just a few hours before the referendum, in which he advised Iraqis to vote with a "Yes", this by a politician who is supposed to be a sponsor of democracy!

Yes, it seems that the "Yes" will triumph again. Congratulations to all who participated and contributed, yet such a participation will not be decorated by the majestic splendor it should have. I fear future turmoil which we would all have negatively contributed to. We will also bear a huge part of its responsibility by our selfishness, our factionalism, and our failure to
comprehend what we preach and do not practice.

I used to wish, and I still do, that the political speech of religious scholars, of the president of the country and of most political, religious parties and movements was one that educated the spirit of the constitution which respects the choice of voters, whether it be a "Yes" or a "No". That
either choice is not less patriotic than the other. That everyone concentrate on participation of the citizen in itself, strengthening his self-confidence and his new found democratic freedoms so that he would dedicate himself to rebuilding his country, not to leave him frustrated and confused.

We would then be scorched by the very fire which we try to bake our piece of bread from. We all know from experience that rushing the fire and baking the dough before it is properly fermented would give us bread that is not to our liking.

"State of Law" project update.

Friends of democracy’s workshops of constitutional education in the “State of Law” project continue in the suburbs and villages of Iraq that are not gettin g the care they need.

In our 3rd and 4th workshop our destination was the villages of Al-Niwaysrat and Al-Rayfat in Al-Muthana province.

The participants sought our assistance to help their voices reach the officials hoping that someone would pay attention to their bad living conditions in these neglected villages.

The 5th and 6th of the Friends of Democracy’s workshops of constitutional education in the “State of Law” project took place in the Al-Asri district of Khidr town, Al-Muthana province and in the Ziwiyah village in the countryside of Al-Muthana province also.

While the latter was for men men, the former workshop was a special one for women in the area.

At the end of the lectures, opinion polls were conducted; the results of which together with the previous ones shall be calculated and displayed on our website before the referendum day on October 15.

More photos can be found here, here and here.

The Internet, The Greatest Threat

From the NDP blog/Diwaniya.

"This man should be beheaded," is a statement which I quote from a website based in the UAE (United Arab Emirates), known for its extremism. The website displays images and videos instigating and depicting violence. It is a marketplace of hate speech against others for nothing more than being Shia or "infidels". Such websites operate in the open to spread a new culture of
extremism and terrorism in our region, pitting people in civil wars against
each other.

I find it strange and totally unacceptable that the judiciary of the UAE (and other Arab countries) allows such nonsense to continue for years without any punishment. If the above statement was published in any other country where liberties are protected by law, both the writer and publisher
would be prosecuted and punished severely if found to be guilty.

We live in developing societies with a significant heritage of historical and contemporary disputes, and a political awakening of profound gravity.
Disastrous consequences would soon follow if such internet forums, that disrespect the culture of disagreement with others and that regard calling for violence as a normal act of free speech, are overlooked and ignored.

The amount of material published against Shia or Sunnis in these websites will plunge the region into a state of eternal conflict. Such violent ideologies tend to classify and label people into narrow factions which in time turn into opposite camps waging war against each other. It serves no
one's interest to leave these websites publishing statements and broadcasting beheading videos fomenting sectarian violence at a time when the signs of civil war in Iraq are clear to all.

Unfortunately, this negligent behavior can only be described as ignorant.
Ignorance of the potential threat of the malicious material circulated on such internet forums.

The online activity in the Arab region is far more dangerous than Zarqawi's activities in Iraq or Bin Laden's activities worldwide. The threat of the latter can be contained as long as terrorist groups are restricted to one angle of society, but the former has an audience of hundreds of thousands of
our youth clearly divided into Sunnis or Shia, believers or infidels, right or wrong; how will they be saved? And most importantly, how will society be saved from their actions tomorrow?

It is the responsibility of Arab governments, particularly governments that disregard such internet forums as long as they do not directly threaten them. It is because of these governments that we are heading into an ideological, sectarian conflict, and more so because there are no laws that
punish or hold the instigators accountable for their statements.

Ja'fari's Unexpected Visit

From the Diwaniya blog.

The city of Diwaniya awakened this morning to an unexpected situation. All the city's streets and (already blocked) roads were completely closed. When we asked what was going on, we were told that the prime minister was visiting the city.

Several developments followed which were both amusing and pathetical:

1- All schools and governmental offices remained closed for the day since streets and bridges were blocked to traffic. The city was divided into two parts, west and east of the river.

2- Only laborers, who usually leave their homes at dawn, were able to reach work safely. They returned empty handed though since they could not cross the closed bridges.

3- Street vendors were saying: "Two visits like this and we'll all starve to death," since they returned home with empty sacks and their unsold merchandise.

4- I was listening to local radio stations and they were broadcasting the complaints of the citizens of Diwaniya. Many were asking the PM for solutions to their endless list of problems which will never be solved even in science fiction.

5- I found that children had the most benefit out of this situation. They put out their goal marks on the blocked streets and played football for the rest of the day.

6- Car owners, particularly taxi drivers, were cursing the day they purchased their cars in because of their long suffering in driving customers to their destinations which were usually at the blocked bridges.

7- It was an excellent opportunity for those with big bellies to exercise and walk some distance in order to reach work.

8- As for me, it was also a chance to clean my workplace and to walk to the Internet cafe to post about what I witnessed today.

Children’s drawings and words fight terrorism…

Friends of Democracy organized a touring gallery in many elementary and high schools through out the country in which children’s drawings were collected and showed.

The theme of the project was to give the children a chance to express their love and support to the Iraqi security forces that are protecting them and working hard to allow Iraq students study in a violence-free environment. Friends of Democracy took the responsibility of purchasing and distributing the materials needed for the project, color pencils, cardboard sheets for the children to paint on as well as empty greeting cards (the latter was suggested by teachers and students as an alternative to be used by students who prefer writing to painting).

The beautiful result was thousands of awesome drawings and greeting cards all done by school children who expressed their love and appreciation for the defenders of Iraq. The organization right now is working on distributing these cards and drawings to the heroes of police and army as they risk their lives confronting the enemies of Iraq.

The words and drawings had a wonderful positive effect on the morale of our soldiers and policemen who received them with overwhelming happiness and tears of joy “we’re not going to let them down and these paintings will take their place on the walls in our base” these were the words of one grateful soldier to whom we handed some paintings while his unit was patrolling the streets of Baghdad, the next day we received a call from the officer in command asking for more of these paintings which he described as “a proof on national unity in this confrontation with the powers of evil”.

The project included schools from various Iraqi cities including Baghdad, Kirkuk, Najaf, Samawa, Diwaniya and Amara.

To view the rest of the photos click here .

A Semantic Analysis Of A Terrorist's Confessions

By Osama Al-Aqili

The latest episodes broadcasted on the Al-Iraqia and Al-Fayhaa TV stations were full of small signs and clues that the sharp observer would not fail to notice. If we take a cross-section (as biologists say) of one such confession of a terrorist and expose it to closer scrutiny and analysis, we would easily see the gaps in the feeble ideological system from which the terrorists derive their motives as well as the fatwas of their Sheikhs which are basically nothing more than verbal orders.

There is no doubt that "language" as a form of communication can contain several interpretations which some may consider coincidental. On the contrary, however, when language is the only available method of detection, it turns into a complex system of messages and codes which have to be disassembled and deciphered in order to arrive at the truth which perhaps the conveyer did not intend to reveal upon giving his confessional statements.

I also wish to analyze the following text through exhausting the infinite meanings contained within these confessions which can be regarded "evil" since they often contain transmitted codes with a potential to affect distant viewers. They also serve to bridge between the speech of religious extremists throughout history and its evolution into an explosive "suicidal" practice today. We should keep in mind though that these are merely confessions, in a sense that the conveyer did not intend to send these signals -as evident from his linguistic usage-, in fact that mission was obviously the farthest from his mind. Yet his confessions still possess that abstract dynamism which controls their use of language and which produces the meanings regardless of the conveyer. Consequently, it is possible for us to collect these facts.

I will concentrate here on the literal meaning of a terrorist's statement to another and then his interrogation on television.

One terrorist mentioned that his Sheikh in Mosul issued a fatwa forbidding the killing of Iraqi policemen and National Guards. He then headed to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage and met with several Saudi Sheikhs. On his return, he issued a fatwa that killing bloody policemen and National Guards is a requirement that would guarantee one's entry to Paradise. 

If we analyze the above segment for a moment, we can provide the following interpretations:

1- A Fatwa can be released by almost anyone regardless of whether they are religious scholars or not. It suffices sometimes that one leads a group of people in prayers in order for his fatwas to be obeyed and followed.

2- That the dutiful perpetrators almost never question the source or the nature of the fatwa, whatever it may be. This would suggest a blind sanctification for people whose only virtue is being able to lead a group in prayers and to provide some Hadith or personal interpretations of certain Quranic verses.

3- That the Hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca is at present not simply a religious ritual for Muslims to congregate at one spot and be acquainted with each other, as the Quran has mentioned. Instead, it has turned -by evidence of the above- into a safe haven for terrorists from all over the world to meet and to receive religious rulings (or fatwas). It is also clear that terrorist organizations have exploited these sacred rituals for their own bloody purposes and in turn endangering people. Therefore, it is essential to monitor these rituals and meetings taking place during them. Other nations wishing to protect its people from terrorism should also track the movements of people arriving from the pilgrimage, particularly those who mingle with the Sheikhs and spiritual leaders of terrorists.

4- The influence of the mentioned Sheikhs on terrorists is no secret. Saudi religious leaders hold full responsibility for the calamities affecting the Islamic world in general, the Arab world in particular, and consequently the whole world. It is evidence that the Wahhabi, Salafi ideology is the source of the trouble. There is absolutely no denying that the Sheikhs of Saudi Arabia, since the time they produced Bin Laden to this day, are the source of all terrorism.

5- The rulers of Saudi Arabia, despite their avowed campaign against terrorism on their territory, have failed to tackle the underlying source which is the very ideology they follow. They continue to embrace this Salafi ideology which is burning the whole world without even considering changing or modernizing it.

6- Weapons and explosives can easily be detected at airports and border entry points. Explosive ideology, however, can never be detected since it is carried in the minds of terrorists and can easily be transferred. If one such head infiltrates through the borders it could prove to cause a formidable disaster later on. It is therefore mandatory for nations fighting terrorism to also direct its resources to fight the ideology which fuels it, and to assist other nations by removing rulers who hold such ideologies despite claiming  otherwise.   

Until this point, we have not exceeded the scope of the provided text, but we have succeeded in deducing new meanings from it. In fact, they exist inside the text but they require a small effort to be extracted from it.

Indeed, our simple approach to define the ideological message carried within the text, in spite of its brevity, was enough to unravel the rest.

We should also point out that these primary interpretations can be perceived by the observer through analysis of the linguistic elements of the text. It all explains itself.

Words are orders. They force us as we use them to think within a predefined system. Another underestimated aspect is the fact that these "terrorist" texts are almost always supported by historical religious texts, such as "fake" Hadith attributed to the Prophet, or Quranic verses that have been misused and interpreted out of their context. Such a huge ideological system was not born today but is the result of centuries of historical precedent which pave the way for new recruits.

This terrorist thinks, as he uses his language, within a cultural and ideological system which he has merged into. It is a part of him which he defends involuntarily. He is ready to kill all for this purpose, yet at the same time he gives us plenty of clues by his use of language. He cannot consciously filter his language as it comes out to the world.

Our basic methods in dealing with the aforementioned text, which is taken from a much longer interrogation, stem from a realization that we cannot directly perceive things as a whole. Perception requires that we divide things into smaller parts in order to understand them.

The eyes and senses of readers will pursue this text, whatever its size or quality, and investigate it just the same as police investigators. The acute reader will find that after each reading he will discover new reasons for its condemnation or its acquittal.

Friends of Democracy launches project "State of Law"

Among the latest activities of "Friends of democracy" were a number of workshops conducted to help Iraqis get a better knowledge about the constitution and related subjects as the constitution represents the corner stone for any modern, democratic nation.

We'd like to announce that we've have launched project "State of Law" which is basically a series of workshops with the objective of explaining the articles of the constitution in a simplified way as well as explaining the steps of the constitutional process and encouraging the voters to actively participate in the referendum and the next elections. At the end of each workshop an opinion poll is conducted on the participants and information is gathered and analyzed.

The target population of the project is the population of remote villages and small towns that are facing difficulties in communications and receiving insufficient care and attention from the center.
The people out there met our initiative with a lot of enthusiasm and actually there were happy to get this opportunity to get the information they need so badly, this was clear from the questions they submitted to the lecturer which were honestly so primitive that one man was wondering if "constitution" was a man running for presidential elections!!

Since such villages and small towns have no halls for meetings and conferences, the choice was made to hold the workshops at the reception hall of the tribal sheiks' homes.
The first workshop was held in the house of sheik Minshid of the Abu-Shtayit village south-east of Samawa.
This poor village ironically lies so close to the ruins of Uruk, the hometown of Gilgamesh and one of the earliest towns in the history of civilization, yet no one there seemed to know who Gilgamesh was!

Finally, Ja'fari Said: "Thank You Mr. President."

By Mohammed Hassan Al-Musawi

The words of thanks and gratitude expressed by PM Ibrahim Ja'fari for the American people and president Bush were not simply complements made during diplomatic visits and meetings as some would like to explain. They mark the end of an era and the beginning of a new one for both Iraq and America. An era of strategic partnership between the world's greatest superpower, the USA, and the most ancient civilization known in history; Iraq, Mesopotamia, the land of the two rivers, the land of Ali and Al-Hussein, where the first word was written, where the first laws were enacted (an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth).

We can confidently say that those simple, yet articulate, words of thanks expressed by Ja'fari, representing the first elected government in Iraq's modern history, have pulled down the curtain over an era of empty slogans and false speeches appealing to emotions such as "America the Great Satan," "Arab oil is for Arabs, death to the reactionaries," "The Imperialist mother," and other leftovers of the cold war era which prevailed in Iraq for long years pushing us decades back behind the rest of the civilized world.

Bush's new project in the Middle East came to confirm this new relationship between Iraq and the US. A political, economical project in which America protects and sponsors the new liberal, democratic Iraq.

Several well-known powers wanted Iraq to remain isolated from the west, and particularly from the US. It was also planned for Iraq to turn into a huge lab for experimenting abstract ideologies such as communism at the time it swept the region, or the united Arab nation and common destiny concepts designed by those who found Arab nationalism an ideal method to turn Iraq into a milking cow for others while its own citizens suffer from hunger and poverty, and the concept of an Islamic state, in both its moderate version of Shura and the extreme one of Wilayet-e Faqih which predominated after the Iranian revolution.

Bush's project and Ja'fari's words of thanks put the final bullet of mercy in the head of these withering ideologies which were the reason behind this unjustified enmity between Iraq and the west, one which Iraqis paid dearly for in the process.

Iraq, as an oil rich gulf country with enormous natural, agricultural and human resources, was expected to be one of the world's most developed and prosperous countries. Instead, it was destined to remain at the bottom of the list while neighboring countries were at their peak. Could it be that desert nomads built their countries for being far better civilized than us, or is there another secret somewhere?

Yes, there is a secret, it's name is the west and America. A secret we Iraqis were not supposed to discover after long being drugged with the opium of Marxism, Nationalism and Islamism which alienated us from the west and America while they built for other Arab nomads their countries until Arab cities like Dubai became a major attraction for tourists and investors.   

But why did the west not turn to Iraq with all its riches instead of building countries for others? The answer is because other Arabs, despite being simple-minded, learned how to put their weight behind the west and to humbly seek their help. As to us, we continued to ruminate delusions and abstract utopian dreams of socialism and pan-Arabism, accusing gulf countries of being subordinates to western colonialists and imperialists, dreaming of the one Arab nation and other idiotic notions which all contributed to our downfall.

The strangest thing though was when the tables turned against the people behind such sick ideologies, they dashed to the imperialist, infidel west, where they took refuge and enjoyed its benefits. If they get together you would find them playing the same old broken record of conspiracy theories.

Therein lies the importance of Ja'fari's thanks to America and the west. They are of huge significance for both Iraq, and for Ja'fari himself. Iraq will soon, God willing, become the Japan of the Middle East and its center if everything goes will with our friends in the west and America.
Ja'fari's words mean: First, gratitude which in itself is a major achievement for Ja'fari and points to his political maturity, since we know he was against the war and refused to attend the London conference for the Iraqi opposition which paved the way to Operation Iraqi Freedom. He also allied himself with Stalinist leftover movements and parties instead of seeking the help of America to end the Baathist occupation of Iraq. Unfortunately, Ja'fari was mistaken in all three actions so his thanks to the US are evidence that he is moving in the right direction this time in his understanding of political realities.

Second, by accepting to offer thanks and gratitude to our American friends, Ja'fari has proven that he is no longer that person who leads and tries to make decisions on behalf of everyone, like he used to at the time he was leader of a political group with members no more than the number of a primary school's students. This is positive for a politician who seeks to win the next elections.

Third, by offering thanks, Ja'fari has entered the political game from its widest entrance - and what could be a wider entrance than the White House?-, has understood the rules of the game and by thanking America he has started to act as a statesman who puts the interests of his country and his people before those of his party and his person.

It is political realism which means to accept the realities on the ground and the friendship of Uncle Sam, abandoning all forms of demagoguism, revolutionary and romantic slogans. There is no place for these in the New Iraq.
Thank you President Bush.

American Casualties Are Martyrs Too

By Hussein Al-Zeyadi

I shall start by declaring myself an agent and lackey of the United States of America in order to spare others the effort of throwing these accusations. By others, I refer to Pan-Arabists, Nationalists and Islamists who use the above to describe anyone who expresses an equitable, objective opinion or rational thought which suggests that we are all on the same boat, that any violent tendencies would sink us all.

Following Operation Iraqi Freedom which released millions of Iraqis from the huge prison run by a gang of mercenaries and hitmen for over three decades, following the liberation -described by a few as an occupation, we started hearing the strangest opinions from our officials and fellow countrymen.
I wish to remind them that Iraqis inside used to cry in despair: "Let us be liberated, even if it be by Sharon." Months and years went by without us knowing anything about the cockfights going on between members of the Iraqi opposition abroad, the deals made on dividing the country's riches and on mapping a new Iraq. Everyone claimed to be struggling for Iraqis through releasing annual statements from the hotels of London, Teheran, Vienna, and recently Salah Al-Din.

During the few months prior to the fall of the idol at Fardous square, we Iraqis inside used to writhe in pain upon hearing a few sentences from Hans Blix's investigation reports taking a flexible stance toward the former regime. We feared the US and Britain would fall back on their intentions. We only sighed relief when president George Bush announced a 48 hour ultimatum to Saddam and his sons to leave Iraq or face military action.

It was war and the feeble fortresses of Baathists collapsed one after another at the speed of light, since they had already been eroded after Iraqis revolted in the 1991 blessed Intifada, which was a spontaneous revolt against injustice and oppression. A revolt which none of the newcomers had any role in, except perhaps their languishing cowardly stand when they left the rebels face Saddam's war machine alone, or their exploitation of the Intifada in the western media after thousands of innocent Iraqis were massacred. The true rebels were buried, along with their families, in the regime's massgraves. Those who had survived went into hiding awaiting the moment of salvation which God delivered by pushing president Bush to wage war against the tyrant.

The regime collapsed and we remained without a state for days and weeks. We never saw any of the expatriate politicians until their appointment by Bremer as the new governors of Iraq, and everyone knows the rest of the story.

We accepted and embraced them as brothers and fellow Iraqis, yet they underestimated us and treated us like fools. You have Muwafaq Al-Rubaie at a conference in Diwaniya saying: "We tricked the Americans into invading Iraq," as if the United States is a five year-old child.
And you have another, appointed by Bremer to the Governing Council with a salary exceeding that of a whole town under Saddam, calling for an end to the occupation.

While our foreign minister, Hoshiar Zebari, is asking the Security Council to extend the mission of multi-national forces in Iraq, we have Jawad Al-Maliki, second man after the prime minister in the Da'wa party leadership and a National Assembly member, demanding that occupying forces leave Iraq, as if we had nothing to say as a nation.

And so all basic services broke down and everything was lost while our new leaders continued to blame the former regime. Both Iraqis and Americans continue to be puzzled with the warped ethics of Iraqi politicians.

The United States expected gratitude from the Iraqi people, or at least from Iraqi politicians since they were made out of nothing. Here we have an accountant suddenly promoted to minister, and another who opposed the liberation suddenly becoming prime minister in a moment he would never imagine even in his wildest dreams.   

The problem now is with those who are lying to both Iraqis and America. Some followed Iran and started to repeat its empty slogans while others parrot similar ones from our Baathist neighbor in Syria, losing all touch with reality.

A single world superpower with its own agenda of a greater Middle East is urging Iraqis to follow their own interests and to replace backwardness with freedom and modernity, with similar situations experienced in Japan, South Korea and Germany. The only difference between us is that these nations stage demonstrations when American bases are about to be removed and that they regard them as friendly forces protecting them from their evil neighbors. They think and speak clearly and they call a spade a spade, while we deny American money and blood shed on Iraqi soil as if we were some kind of science-fiction creature rising from a laboratory to destroy the world which liberated it.

That was how we abused our freedom given to us for the first time in our lives, thanks to the boots of Marines which crushed Saddam's Fedayeen and Baathists.

I truly believe that our salvation as a nation depends on our being completely honest with the United States; to prove to her that we are Iraqis first and that we do not conspire against her with Iran or Syria or anyone; to thank and to acknowledge her role in liberating us, otherwise we will be heading to disaster.

The United States is the sole player in Iraq today. A new Marshall plan in Iraq would contribute greatly to our economic development. We should learn from the Japanese, the Koreans and the Germans. We should ask them how they dealt with America, how they reassured her that her interests were secure and how they were reconstructed by her to become among the world's greatest economic superpowers. Perhaps the secret is that none of these countries were neighboring Iran or Syria? Nevertheless, we should learn to overcome our geographical fate because, unfortunately, it can never be changed.

Partisan Idolatry And Religious Feudalism

By Mohammed Hassan Al-Musawi

When young Abraham embarked on his mission to preach for one God, after his conviction in His existence following a long journey of self-struggle in an environment where belief in the physical rather than the supernatural was the norm, he felt that he was taking the first step on an arduous road of transforming his heathen society.

The holy Quran pictures Abraham's conflict and his struggle, both with himself and then with his society: "Lo! Abraham said to his father Azar: 'Takest thou idols for gods? For I see thee and thy people in manifest error.' So also did We show Abraham the power and the laws of the heavens and the earth, that he might (with understanding) have certitude. When the night covered him over, he saw a star, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when it set, he said: 'I love not those that set.' When he saw the moon rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord.' But when the moon set, he said: 'unless my Lord guide me, I shall surely be among those who go astray.' When he saw the sun rising in splendor, he said: 'This is my Lord; this is the greatest (of all).' But when the sun set, he said: 'O my people! I am indeed free from your (guilt) of giving partners to Allah.'"

Abraham's gift was his ability, from the first sight, to diagnose his people's disease of idolatry, that chronic illness which eventually results in the breakdown of common sense and the paralysis of all rational thought by the mere suggestion that an idol possesses the physical and supernatural qualities to be worthy of worship or to be granted immunity from criticism and contemplation of its true nature, whether it be stone, as the case with the gods of Abraham's people and the gods of the tribe of Quraish such as Hubel, Al-Llat and Al-Uzza, or human as the case with Egypt's pharaoh who declared himself divine.

Abraham believed in God as the sole creator and designer of this huge universe; that His nature simply cannot be comprehended or cognized by mortals, whereas idols are physical entities created by human beings, dependent on them in order to exist. God exists and is in no need for others. Young Abraham decided to convey these beliefs to his people who were hypnotized by the opium of idolatry and heathenism. In order to do this, he first chose to destroy their idols to shock them so that they come face to face with the bitter truth which they were blinded to.

He picked an axe and hacked at the idols. He left it in the head of the largest one; "So he broke them to pieces, (all) but the biggest of them, that they might turn (and address themselves) to it." When his people learned of it they went insane with rage. They asked each other who could have done this; "They said: 'Who has done this to our gods? He must indeed be some man of impiety!' They said: 'We heard a youth talk of them: He is called Abraham.'"

It was then that Abraham's long journey of pain and suffering started. He meant to destroy the idolatry of his people which blinded their hearts before their eyes and enslaved them to the idols will.

Here in the East we are witnessing the same old new idolatry, this time in the shape of political parties and leaders. Our societies suffer from this grave phenomenon which can only be described as partisan idolatry. The political party or the leader has been turned into an idol figure worshipped, consciously or unconsciously, by party members, a characteristic shared by almost all parties, be they religious or secular. In fact, this phenomenon was born from totalitarian parties, as it can rarely be found in liberal, democratic political parties. We can take Iraq as a perfect example to study this serious trend.

Partisan idolatry flourished in Iraq during the fifties of the last century. Anyone who had lived that period can vividly remember how partisan affiliation divided the Iraqi family, when members of the same family were members of different political parties. One could be a Baathist, the other an Arab nationalist, and another a communist or an Islamist. The clash of political ideologies was brought home and it threatened to undermine the very foundations of our society. We were told horrific stories of brothers turning against each other and of people murdering and dragging their neighbors or relatives, of different partisan backgrounds, in the streets. If an opposition party staged a bloody coup and seized power, gallows and acid tanks would be awaiting the members of the ruling party and vice versa.   

Such a situation rises when the individual idolizes his political party or his leader. He is filled with uncontrollable rage when he comes across someone who dares to criticize his infallible idol and he then starts gathering wood to burn his opponent at the stake, just as Abraham's people did when their stone idols were violated.

The gravity of partisan idolatry lies in the fact that it inevitably contributes to the rise of dictatorships. It contrasts with the principles of political and intellectual pluralism which God made inherent in human beings;

It would have been impossible for the West to arrive at its present advanced state of progress had it not totally destroyed the intellectual and partisan idolatry of the medieval Church, and also after it achieved victory over Hitler's Nazism, Mussolini's Fascism and Stalin's Communism.

If Iraqis ever wish to build their modern state, they should forever renounce partisan idolatry and they should believe in political parties as a means to serve and advance society, as practiced in the West, and not the other way around. We would also need to 'nationalize' our political parties so that leadership is open to all instead of being restricted to a handful of elite members of political and religious feudalities. The latter one being the most dangerous since it seeks to win both religious and political leadership in order to secure its narrow interests, usually at the expense of the simple-minded and the impoverished masses by exploiting their devotion and respect to clerics, as witnessed today in the south of Iraq.

Until the members of political parties, particularly those of religious nature, start to question their leaderships and until they reach a stage where criticism is not reacted to with threats and violence we will never be part of the civilized world.

What a great difference there is between Abraham and those members of religious parties who claim to be following his legacy!