KARBALA, July 9 (VOI) - A Shiite Shrine official on Wednesday said a delegation of Karbala clerics and tribal chieftains held a prayer with Sunnis in Baghdad in a bid of sectarian unity after two years of revenge killings between the two denominations.
"The delegation met an invitation, sent by the Sunni endowments chief, to visit Baghdad," a Shiite spokesman from al-Hussein shrine's administration, who requested anonymity, told Aswat al-Iraq - Voices of Iraq - (VOI).
The spokesman noted "the two sides held a joint prayer led by Sunni endowments chief, Abdel Ghafour al-Samarrai."
"The two agreed to renounce killing and displacing operations carried out by groups claiming affiliation to Sunnis and/or Shiites," he added.
In February 2006, Iraq witnessed rising sectarian killings and displacing operations that stripped thousands of their houses and properties after Shiite shrines in Samarra were bombed.
The spokesman pointed out "Karbala's delegation included 85 figures comprised of clerics, tribal chieftains and provincial officials."
Earlier, 40 spokesmen from the predominantly Sunni district of Adhamiya visited Karbala for two days in April in response to an invitation sent by the Shiite province clerics.
Karbala, the capital city of Karbala province and the second holiest Shiite province after Najaf, lies 108 km south of Baghdad
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2 comments:
How real is this? We always hear promises, words, gestures and such among competing Iraqi factions, but it rarely seems to lead to real progress on the ground, in terms of oil sharing laws and constitutional agreements and whatever else. Is this more of the same or is it different this time do you think?
Many thanks for the comment...
Well, i believe that this is different...
First, this is different from the destructive roll politicians have been playing until Spring of 2008, when things changed positively on both sides.
Second, because it gets the situation back to the "good times" before the former regime poisoned the atmosphere between the two sects.
Even under the former regime, Sunnis used to make food on Ashura, while Shiites used to spend the Birthday of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH)in Aadhamiya, and it wasn't strange at all.
Now that the reasonable relegious people on both sides of the aisle are coming together and joining hands, after long years of factioning and absence; and now that Sunnis and Shiites alike are rebuilding Samarra, and exchanging brotherly and friendly visits among their cities and neighborhoods; it is becoming clear that terrorism was not Anti-Shiite or Anti-Sunni, but Anti-Iraqi, and it is about time Iraqis join their hands are restore their country back.
Hopefully, politicians would grow up for a change!
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