THE MECCA DOCUMENT
IRAQ THE MODEL - [Excerpt] Shia and Sunni Iraqi clerics were in Mecca last night to sign a document (or decree or treaty or whatever its name is!). In my opinion choosing Mecca was not only for religious or spiritual reasons, actually I tend to believe that Saudi Arabia offered to host the meeting with such enthusiasm only to improve its image and change the general impression about it so that it's viewed as a country that supports peace and tolerance instead of a country that breeds extremism.
[Excerpt] There's one other important point about the meeting that makes it rather impossible to expect it to make a difference on the ground; the two most vicious murderous factions that are responsible for most of the sectarian violence, i.e. al-Qaeda and Sadr's militia will not drop their weapons or stop their crimes just because some clerics signed a decree. However, the document can possibly be of practical value only if it gets used in the right way; that is since the document alienates anyone who violates the points stated within, the MNF and the reluctant PM Maliki can take advantage of it and do what they have to do with people like Sadr who had long enjoyed unwritten immunity. I mean if Sadr or certain Sunni groups refuse to abide by the articles of the decree and continue doing their daily dirty job then clerics and religious parties that signed the decree will have the pretext to stop the government or the MNF from taking action against them.
HUMINT: This is an outstanding post from ITM. If accurate it shows that the current leadership in the Middle East – theocratic leadership – is of little if any value at all. It is however difficult to turn my back on anything that might save civilian lives in Iraq. If this letter is the birth of justice from ranking Muslim clerics, then we should give it the respect it deserves. That can only be known in due time. Let’s hope this analysis is wrong.
