13 November 2007
In a small neighborhood in Baghdad, Bab al Sheik, Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds and Christians live together peacefully. This neighborhood has been spared the sectarian violence that has plagued Baghdad. There have been bombings around the edges but the heart of the area has kept violence at bay. For a thousand years this area has had an ancient past bound by trust and generations of intermarriage.
War and civil conflict have taken a heavier toll in much of Baghdad which sprang into exhistence in the 1970′s when oil nationalization drew people from all over Iraq to work. Another feature of the people in Bab al Sheik is that they have more moderate religious views.
A poisonous mix of politics and religion is destroying Iraqi society. Some feel that Muslims have behaved badly toward each other and have given Islam a bad name. One key for peace in Iraq is for the people to make greater efforts to draw together to repel the less moderate religious leaders that ferment problems among the different sects.
While the surge has made some strides in lessening civil conflict, there is only so much that can be done on the ground. The Iraqi government and the people themselves need to work together to solve their common problems.
Americans know the ideals that once set our nation apart have been vandalized, and no matter which party they belong to, they do not see a restoration anytime soon.
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