Religious Scholars and Foundations in the Islamic Countries, the Required Role to Support Iraq's Security and Stability

 By Saudi Al-Resafi

Published: 4 Feb 2008

 Facing the terrorism is not the duty of Iraqis alone, rather the international community should assume its responsibilities regarding bolstering of Iraq in this confrontation, The regional and neighboring countries around Iraq seem the closest in carrying out their duty towards Iraq and in providing various forms of support, in the security, political and economic fields.

However, Iraq needs from these countries an overt and declared support in combating the terrorism, through stopping of support to the terrorist movements, by drying out the sources of financing, and inhibiting the deviant thought of these terrorists, as well as intensifying of the surveillance on borders with Iraq and inhibiting infiltration of any person to Iraq.

The Documents and proofs which have been discovered in a hideout at Senjar region, proved the existence of suicidal terrorist networks coming from the Arabian countries in Northwest Africa (Libya, morocco, etc).

They sneaked into Iraq secretly, coming from Egypt as a first station in their route, they had come from western Arab countries before, and then entered Syria which has a long joint frontier with Iraq.

This does not mean accusation of Egypt or Syria in helping terrorists to enter Iraqi territories, who pose a big threat to Iraqis' life,But this does not absolve the regional countries from their duty to surveil terrorist group activities, in particular the persons coming from distant countries.

Many Mideast's countries have showed their willingness to cooperate with Iraq's government in security fields, through exchange of intelligence information and in surveilling the activities of active terrorist groups on their own territories.

 activities of the terrorist groups in some of Arabian countries had been enlistment of extremists, criminal and terrorist, as well as brainwashing of the youths, teenagers and naive persons, in addition to deceiving them, convincing them to go to Iraq to commit suicide, also they raised money and donations to finance terrorist acts in Iraq to enable terrorist groups to survive longer and to commit mass atrocities.

An Above-mentioned Arab countries readiness to cooperate with Iraq's government emphasizes that these countries have reviewed their former policies towards the operation of regime change in Iraq which happened on 9 Apr 2003, they had incorrect impressions, which were, the success of democracy in Iraq will lead to changes in their states like these which happened in Iraq, in spite of existence of differences in circumstances of Iraq with these countries, and what happened in Iraq does not necessarily would happen in other states, because Iraq's experiment had a speciality and peculiarity not existent in other countries, as well as Iraqis fully realize and believe that the process of regime change in any country is an interior issue concerns people of that country, and anybody has no right to interfere in its interior affairs. Therefore, recently, many of the regional states' stances have witnessed a noticeable change, and in their viewpoints about the Terrorism and the terrorist Al-Qaeda organization in Iraq, particularly the Arabian neighboring states, which have adopted attitudes bolstering Iraq's Government efforts in the war against terrorism, as well as they made efforts in pursuing the groups and persons who bolstering terrorism in their own territories, and they refused the takfiri religious opinions which were issued by some of ignorant ,fanatic and takfiri scholars for the purpose of waging a sectarian war and causing a sedition, in addition to terrorist's overt declarations to explode the holy tombs of grandsons of  Mohammed ( S) who they are Imams of Shiites in Iraq and other Islamic states.

These takfiri opinions have enraged the Islamic world, and the need for moderate clerics and religious scholars has emerged to fulfill their duties as a necessity to dealing with the terrorism, takfiri opinions and these who promoting to commit suicidal operations and atrocities in Iraq.

Undoubtedly, the religious scholars' duties are through giving rightful religious opinions inhibit and forbid these criminal deeds, and to emphasize on declaring the Moslems' blood and their life are sacred and inviolable, and concepts of permissibility of the opinion and dissented opinion should be dealt with peacefully, rejection of violence and bigotry, resolving the disputable explanatory Islamic matters between Islamic sects by dialogue, research and Islamic studies, boosting the Islamic unity in the face of terrorism which have been proven it not threaten Iraq's stability and its security only, but it threatens regional states' security, and the proof is that the terrorist agents wait for an opportunity for the killing or exploding anywhere they can, many regional states were not safe except a few, terrorists had attacked Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Turkey and Mauritania, also they endeavored to commit similar actions in Kuwait ,Syria, Bahrain, Qatar and in other places. This means that the confrontation with terrorism is a responsibility of all regional states and prominent Islamic institutions which should declare their stances in condemning of takfiri terrorism and to forbid suicidal operations or affiliation with these groups or leaning on the takfiri opinions, which have been given to sow discord and sedition among Moslems, and to incite hatred and violence among them, as well as the blatant interference of terrorists in the internal affairs of the States,in addition to  the abuse of the peoples' history and their symbols, and terrorist's attempt to subvert the peaceful coexistence among the region's peoples and states which was extended many centuries, This effort is the duty of these institutions and countries as well, which should be take the initiative to adopt political and religious positions against the extremist ideology, rather than the timid attitudes and humoring the terrorists which are seen from some of them, Because these states discriminate between targets of terrorism, they are tolerant toward terrorism in Iraq and remain a mere bystander, but they convict the terrorism on their territories when it threatens them, Certainly, the security and stability of Iraq is in the interest of the region's countries, and represents a force for them, as well as they will earn from economic relations through access of their companies and capitals to Iraq to participate in the reconstruction, development and investment, This would have positive effects on the other conditions in the region, which had been damaged from policies of Saddam's regime.

Surely, they do not want the terrorism to be the source of danger and a threat to their security and stability once again.