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This is what we are seeing here in Iraq; people who really think they are doing the work of the Almighty by killing one another. This is why it’s a mistake to think the problems can be fixed by Western liberals who do not seem to believe in much at all. In Iraq, these people have little credibility. Here people believe fervently in their God, and expect others to do the same.
In my experience, most of those who commit violence in Iraq, whether they are Sunni or Shia, do so in the belief that it is God’s will that they prevent the other from ultimately gaining power.
I have found that if this mindset is to be changed, it is essential that we work with religious leaders who can make a difference. This is why we formed the High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq (HCRLI), which I chair. To join the group, a leader had to fall into one of the four categories: religious leaders with major influence and a large following; those with a significant TV following; those with very significant political influence within the Iraqi government; those who represent groups responsible for significant violence (although we quickly realised that terrorist groups associated with al-Qa’eda had a very different political agenda, and so could not be worked with).
All of our delegates fall into one or more of these categories. They include: the chief of staff of Grand Ayatollah Sistani; an Iraqi Sunni sheikh who preaches regularly to a regional audience of an estimated 50 million, including 20 million people in Iraq; the chief religious adviser to the Prime Minister; the former personal imam to Saddam Hussein; and the chief spokesperson of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi army.
When this group was first brought together in Baghdad, its membership were sworn enemies. The only thing that united them was their dislike of the Americans, and of Coalition forces in general. Over the course of many difficult meetings, they were able to come to some common agreement, including the issuing of the first joint Sunni/Shia fatwa (religious decree) against all violence. They declared their common desire for six crucial things. This agreed list is at the heart of any possible peace.
1. A strong demand for the unity of the Iraqi land, defence of the legitimacy of Iraq and its full independence, and an end to the foreign presence in the country.
2. A resolute condemnation of organised criminal violence against the Iraqi Christians, who form a genuine part of Iraqi society. In addition, a call for all the political parties, the official institutions and the civil institutions to stand firmly against such criminal behaviour and to work together to stop such inhumane activities.
3. Despite there being positive indications of decline in the amount of sectarian tension, those present at the meeting emphasised the importance of spreading the spirit of forgiveness and of putting an end to sectarianism and discrimination using media channels and through all levels of education.
4. Keeping arms in the hands of the state is the only way to ensure establishment of the state of law. At the same time, pursuit of such a path will meet the demand of the Iraqis to build their state and secure common peace and communal life.
5. It is so important to activate the general amnesty law, to secure as soon as possible the release of the innocent, to stop the arrests that have taken place outside the legal process, and to put an end to torture and any other actions that go against human rights.
6. A strong condemnation of terrorism, regardless of the name or shape under which it is carried out.
This is a strong statement. These are people of influence, who are in a position to bring about change. But in the last few months most of the funding for all this essential work has ceased. In the past it has been paid for by major players in the Coalition. As the violence reduced, the funding stopped. Now the violence is seriously escalating. I do not think this is a coincidence.
The religious leaders themselves regularly telephone me and tell me of their desire that I reconvene the High Council as a matter of extreme urgency in order to address the escalating violence. Just this week one of Iraq’s most senior religious leaders, a Shia, contacted me. He said: ‘I am very upset and annoyed with the Coalition, because they stopped the support of the dialogue when the violence had reduced, and now they ask you to find a way to reduce the violence after the recent events.’
He went on to speak about the risks the members of the Council had all taken, such as numerous appearances on television in the past two years. For two years they have worked to reduce violence. And for all their success they feel totally unappreciated.
Now they are being asked once again what they can do to reduce violence, and they are understandably annoyed. Yes, religion can cause and cure violence, but the cure has to be long-term and it must be applied by all in authority.
Meanwhile, I sit in my room in what I consider to be the most wonderful church in the world, the 3,500-member (all Iraqi) St George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad, and I pray for peace.
The Revd Canon Andrew White is the vicar of Baghdad and president of the Foundation for Relief and Reconciliation in the Middle East (www.frrme.org). His book The Vicar of Baghdad: fighting for peace in the Middle East is published by Monarch HarperCollins.
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