12-20
It is not Utopia.
A Christian Arab writes about Iraq. His name is Giuseppe Samir Eid and he is the author of essays on the relationship between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. To the analysis he sent us, he gave the title: “Iraq: not just oil”. This is an appropriate title, because the bet on the future of the country of the Tigris and Euphrates goes far beyond material wealth; it is a project of free and peaceful coexistence between peoples and religions. And precisely from Iraq this future can be born and restore hope also to the Holy Land and Lebanon and to the tormented Middle East. “It’s not a utopia,” concludes Samir Eid’s analysis. Read for yourself.
The Gulf war-To know and understand each other to co-exist and build peace
The bet on the future of the country of the Tigris and Euphrates goes far beyond material wealth; it is a project of free and peaceful coexistence between peoples and religions, between Muslims, Jews and Christians. And precisely from Iraq this future can be born and restore hope also to the Holy Land and Lebanon and to all the tormented Middle East. Iraq is not just oil, it is not utopia.
The armed intervention in Iraq has deep and remote roots that I could trace back over a century and concern the situation of the Middle Eastern Arab world in general. I am referring in particular to some events that have profoundly influenced the state of sentiments of the Arab peoples towards the West and the United States in particular, propitiators of the armed intervention in Iraq: facts that have caused resentment towards the West, in detail described in the previous chapters and ruined in the attack on the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001.
After 11th September 2001
The instability of the Middle East accompanied by widespread hatred against the West were the main staples of Islamic terrorism, a source of danger not only for the USA but for the whole West and for the governments of the Mediterranean area themselves. An Arab population frustrated in its aspirations in terms of education, social assistance, health care, prosperity, would be easy prey to political disorder, continuing to pose a threat to the stability of the region and the world. At the same time, the majority presence of Saudi-born terrorists has shaken US confidence in the iron ally, the main crude supplier but still the financier of Islamic movements opposed to the western way of life. The main purpose of the armed intervention in Iraq in March was, in my opinion, to try to establish in the heart of the Arab world, at the gates of Saudi Arabia, a government that brings stability and does not hinder the normalization process of relations between Palestinians and Israelis; bring economic well-being and security that serve as an example of government in the region. All financed with the proceeds of Iraqi oil. Development and justice in a climate of freedom will be the propellant for peace in the Middle East, isolating extremist fringes and proposing an example of nationalism (Arab and Israeli) devoid of religious extremism: the dream of coexistence between Muslims, Jews and Christians.
The elimination of turbulence in the region would deprive young people of the motive for emigrating, hoarding the assets invested in young Arabs. As for democracy, it is not a “prêt-à-porter” concept that applies to a heterogeneous social body, but with freedom of expression it will be possible, in a more or less long term, to develop the process respecting ancestral values and pluralism. If the peace dynamic finally finds space in the Middle East, the Jewish state, with its democracy and its developed market economy, but desisting from the confessional state, no longer risks finding itself isolated in an area where cohesion among the Arab countries, but would rather act in synergy with them.
With the exception of Lebanon, until the intervention of the Syrian occupation force, the Arab world did not know the freedom of expression. For Lebanon, freed from Syrian control, the opportunity presents itself to rediscover its legendary entrepreneurial spirit, which has been the strength of its economy and the engine of economic development in the Gulf countries. The religious pluralism and cultural liveliness that could derive from freedom of expression in the Middle East with the new course, would give vigour to the ancient civilizations of this region, which could resume the role of bridge between East and West. Hope beyond hope.
Giuseppe Samir Eid
Free web translation from the original in Italian
The published articles intend to provide the tools for a social inclusion of the migratory flow, shed light on human rights and the condition of life of Christians in the Islamic world from which the author come from. Knowledge of the other, of cultural and religious differences are primary ingredients to create peace in the hearts of men everywhere, a prerequisite for a peaceful coexistence and convinced citizenship in the territory.