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A country where democracy is in force is the one you have defined, dear Mieli, where freedom of thought, freedom of religious choice and equal rights for citizens are in force without any discrimination on the grounds of sex or religious belief. Democracy is not a “pret à porter” habit but must be conquered at a high price, a price that the Western and Iraqi peoples are paying dearly. I wonder if the path taken is currently the right one for the conquest of the goal so coveted, in fact, the daily events of the war in progress increasingly report that the control of the population, at least those who make the news and more vociferous, remains by the ulemas and imams of the mosques. It is clear that to leave the period of transition to the Iraqis would be to give free rein to the religious power, which has promptly filled the void left by Saddam and seems to have become the privileged interlocutor of Western governments at this delicate time. Will they not represent the people, or dictate their conditions for the establishment of Islamic law? A law that prevails in all Arab countries but that does not contain the ingredients of what we call democracy: freedom and equality.

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.

FAX – 17/9/2006

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The clarity of Magdi Allam should be encouraged in every way: it expresses what many think but few say out loud, which is why it is under fire by those who feel guilty: it is the Muslims who deny the historical fact and who ignore the spiritual content of the Koran. History continues to repeat itself. In my opinion only a firm stance of one’s own cultural conviction and identity will make us respect by our opponents., without hesitation and without excuses. On the contrary, I am convinced that many intellectuals in Arab countries have accepted the historical truths declared by Pope Ratzinger, but they cannot do so openly: not everyone has the desire to live under escort.

In conclusion: it should be remembered that the Pope is the head of a State with diplomatic relations with almost all the states of the world, his diplomatic structure should demand from their respective governments the public denials of the preachers of hatred who have stirred the hearts of defenseless people and mired a head of state by threatening him with death.

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