February 2, 2009: Iraq's Islamic Movement "Lives in the Past... The Iraqi People... Chooses Life Over Death"
Iyad Jamal Al-Din: "The Islamic movement that rules in Iraq lives in the past - especially the political forces that raise the banner of the martyrs, and base themselves on a history of being oppressed, without taking into consideration the bright future.
"The Iraqi people is a living people. It chooses life over death. The religious discourse in Iraq sanctifies death, the dead, and the martyrs, who are viewed as a cultural asset. This discourse does not sanctify the living. If you want to be sanctified, to become immortal, you must first be killed. This runs counter to the will and aspirations of the Iraqi public.
"It is also noteworthy that the religious forces ruling Iraq formed a coalition out of fear, not love. They are afraid of the 'other' - sometimes this 'other' is secular, other times Sunni, and sometimes... the 'other.'"
Iyad Jamal Al-Din: "The Islamic movement that rules in Iraq lives in the past - especially the political forces that raise the banner of the martyrs, and base themselves on a history of being oppressed, without taking into consideration the bright future.
"The Iraqi people is a living people. It chooses life over death. The religious discourse in Iraq sanctifies death, the dead, and the martyrs, who are viewed as a cultural asset. This discourse does not sanctify the living. If you want to be sanctified, to become immortal, you must first be killed. This runs counter to the will and aspirations of the Iraqi public.
"It is also noteworthy that the religious forces ruling Iraq formed a coalition out of fear, not love. They are afraid of the 'other' - sometimes this 'other' is secular, other times Sunni, and sometimes... the 'other.'"
Source: MEMRI
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