Iraqi Leaders To Meet In Amman, Jordan April 22http://www.jordantimes.com/thu/homenews/homenews1.htm
AMMAN (JT) — Jordan will host a meeting of Iraq's top Sunni, Shiite and Kurdish religious and tribal leaders on April 22 in a bid to stem sectarian violence and tension in the neighbouring country, an official statement said Wednesday.
The Iraqi Islamic Reconciliation Summit, organised in cooperation between Aal al Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought and the Arab League, will provide a “forum for Iraqi leaders to take a crucial step towards stemming the violence in Iraq,” according to an institute statement.King Abdullah will join the delegates in a call for an end to bloodshed and religious tension in Iraq. The summit is expected to issue a declaration signed by all participants that fighting between Shiite and Sunnis “has no legitimate religious basis.”
“The Iraqi Islamic Reconciliation Summit is a necessary initiative to help bring the violence in Iraq to an end, establish a stable and fully representative Iraqi government and permit a peaceful and orderly withdrawal of coalition troops,” said the statement.
“Peace in Iraq cannot be achieved without a political solution, and a political solution cannot, in turn, be achieved without a religious solution because fighting in Iraq has generally occurred along religious sectarian lines, especially among Iraq's Arab Muslim communities. The Iraqi Reconciliation Summit thus seeks to alleviate religious tensions by asserting fundamental principles that are shared by all Muslims. As such, it could constitute a critical step in defusing civil tension and helping to clear the way for a final and permanent political solution in Iraq.”
The conference will be attended by top religious figures from Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Syria, the Gulf and Iran. Egyptian Sheikh Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi of Al Azhar and Arab League Secretary General Amr Musa are expected to join King Abdullah in “denouncing extremist misinterpretations of Islam that feed the sectarian violence in Iraq and reaffirming the underlying values and principles shared by all branches of Islam,” according to the statement.
The summit seeks to build on the International Islamic Conference on “True Islam and its Role in Modern Society” — hosted by King Abdullah in July 2005. More than 180 scholars from 45 countries signed a declaration condemning the practice known as takfir (calling others apostates) that is used by extremists to justify violence. They were supported by fatwas from 20 of the world's most senior Muslim scholars.
The declaration also recognised the legitimacy of the eight traditional schools of Islamic jurisprudence, including the Sunni, Shiite and Ibadi branches as well as traditional Asharite theology, Islamic mysticism (Sufism) and moderate Salafi thought.
The declaration also identified common principles and beliefs and defined the necessary qualifications and conditions for issuing fatwas, exposing the illegitimacy of the so-called fatwas justifying terrorism.
The declaration was adopted by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference summit in Mecca in December.
“The convening of the summit reflects King Abdullah's efforts to promote moderation and harmony among Muslims. The King is uniquely poised to facilitate this summit because, as a forty-third generation direct descendent of the Prophet Mohammad and thus a member of the Aal al Bayt [the Household of the Prophet Mohammad], he enjoys unique status amongst all Muslims. Also, he is the scion of the oldest ruling dynasty in the Islamic world,” said the statement.
“Jordan enjoys unique social, tribal, economic and historical ties with Iraq. Since the beginning of the current fighting in Iraq, Jordan has given shelter and safe passage to millions of Iraqis. There are today over half a million Iraqis living in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.”