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February 13, 2012
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Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
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Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
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Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
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Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
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January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
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Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
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Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
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Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
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Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
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Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
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January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
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January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
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January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
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Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
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Jewish World Review
Feb. 22, 2008
/ 16 Adar I 5768
At the Scene of Reconciliation: The Iraqis come to Denmark
By
Michael Ledeen
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http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
I'm in Denmark this week as an observer at an Iraqi "reconciliation conference" that has brought nearly two dozen political and religious leaders to Copenhagen. It's a fascinating group. The clerics range from Sunnis and Shiites to members of little-known, fascinating pre-Islamic sects like the Yezikis (who seem to be historically linked to the Zoroastrians) and the Mandaeans (the central figure of whose faith is John the Baptist), all of whom have suffered ghastly depredations in the terror war following the defeat of Saddam Hussein. Political figures include National Security Adviser Muwafaq al-Rubayie, who spent a long and intense day here on Tuesday, and remains in close contact as the participants try to hammer out a collective document.
It's probably sheer coincidence that this conference takes place at the moment General Petraeus is expressing considerable hope for reconciliation, and his statement that Iraqis need to shout instead of shoot is very much in the forefront of the discussions here. The participants believe that things in their country have improved to the point where a strong statement, containing many specific recommendations, might well have an impact on the central government. They are particularly intent on improving the treatment of some of the lesser-known religious groups in the country, who have been decimated by sectarian violence and who have yet to receive decent treatment from the government or meaningful support from the human-rights and aid communities.
As so often in the past, this ecumenical effort has been driven by the young Anglican canon of Baghdad, Andrew White, who in ten years in Iraq has won the trust and affection of an amazingly wide cross-section of politicians and clerics, and he presides over the conference, which has received impressive support from the Danish government. The foreign minister blessed the proceedings, and insisted that it produce concrete recommendations and vigorous follow-up in Baghdad. The discussions have been intense, frank, and productive. For starters, all agreed to avoid the use of the term "minorities" on the grounds that they were working for high standards for all Iraqis, and did not wish to call attention to any one group or sect. This alone would make the conference a notable event; they will also recommend that religious identification be removed from Iraqi ID cards, to make sectarian bias more difficult to implement.
There have been moments of enormous gravity, as we heard stories about the slaughter of entire communities, especially of the smaller sects. Virtually every Iraqi in the room spoke about personal losses, but they did so in tones of sadness, not vengeance, and they seemed to demonstrate a genuine desire to put an end to the violence and find a way to restore Iraq to a preeminent role in the region.
There was a fascinating discussion of church/mosque/state relations, which Canon White defined with the rhetorical question, "Should religion play an advisory or supervisory role in Iraq?" Both Luther and Tocqueville were invoked as possible guides, and Rubayie insisted that the correct answer was "both." Somewhat surprisingly, he also insisted that the Iraqi Constitution does not assert that sharia law is the country's ultimate legal authority, but rather that contemporary Iraqi practice should "rest on the pillars of Islam," thus permitting both the government and its judges rather more wiggle room than I had thought.
Wednesday's discussions were devoted to human rights, and especially to two sub-themes: the treatment of women, and the high level of violence in Iraqi society. Several participants decried the very common practice of wife-beating and child-beating, and while some insisted that this was contrary to Iraqi tradition (and explained it by the fact that this generation of Iraqis has suffered through three bloody wars, which have traumatized the whole society), all agreed that the government should take steps to stigmatize and eliminate it. Specific recommendations will probably appear in the final document. Moreover, one of the two female participants, a member of Parliament, noted that unmarried women "of a certain age" fell under the domination of their brothers, and that this situation was intolerable, to which the men agreed. I cannot count the times that participants insisted on the equality of men and women some citing the Koran, others more contemporary documents.
In short, there are signs of hope here. The very fact that so many authoritative Iraqis were willing to come here and participate in a very public event bespeaks confidence in the future of the country, and a determination to speed up the process. One of the participants noted that it wasn't enough to have a minister for human rights (who was expected to arrive in Copenhagen Wednesday evening), because it would be difficult for a minister to expose human-rights violations by her own government. I expect a call for an independent parliamentary or even private commission.
This conference in Denmark may well prove to be a significant moment in the evolution of a better Iraq. No single meeting can possibly transform the country by itself, but these are respected people with considerable clout, and they are determined that their recommendations will be taken to the highest levels of the state and the country's mosques and churches.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Michael Ledeen is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and author of, most recently, ""The War Against the Terror Masters," Comment by clicking here.
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