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Edward Joseph of Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Michael O'Hanlon of the Brookings Institution in Washington admit that their plan to divide Iraq along ethnic lines is "unpalatable."
The scholars' plan builds on a proposal by U.S. Senator and
Democratic Party presidential hopeful Joseph Biden, and Leslie Gelb, a former
president of the influential Council on Foreign Relations. ===
http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/07/12/community/letters_opinion/rowse0713.txt ===
A stable Iraq is a
necessity for the entire Middle East, including
Israel.
Iraq should become partitioned into three religious areas (Sunni, Shi’ite and Kurd). Uprooting thousands of Iraqi citizens to make this happen is a much better option than continuing the status quo (internal conflict and killing).
Even if the present military surge is successful, it will only be temporary. We cannot keep draining our precious resources financially and militarily.
Jason Rowse Beachwood
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http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070731/NEWS/70731016/1001/SPORTS ===
Brownback has signed on to a
proposal in the Senate with Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware that would
divide Iraq into three states united by a federal government. The divisions would include separate states for Sunni and Shi'a Muslims with Kurds as the third.
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Any division leads to continued strife. One example is the division of the Indian subcontinent into Pakistan and India that has made the acrimony permanent and has resulted in an arms race culminating in two additional nuclear states. We are concerned that a
division of Iraq also would lead to permanent conflict and continued bloodshed.
What is the view of Islam on the political and ethnic divide that is contemplated? Inshah Allah we hope to look into this aspect in the remaining part of the article.
http://www.sunnahonline.com/library/purification/0111.htm ===
… on the authority of Jabir ibn al-Urut, may Allah be pleased with him:
"I came before the Prophet, peace be upon him, at night and we prayed until it was close to the time of the morning prayer, so the Prophet, peace be upon him, ended his prayer. I said:
'O Messenger of Allah, certainly you have prayed this night a prayer that which I have not seen you pray the like of.' The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
'The reason for that is because it was a prayer between desire and fear. I asked my Lord, the Most High, in the prayer for three qualities for which He gave me two and denied me one. I asked my Lord that He not destroy us in the way He destroyed the previous generations and so He granted me that, and I asked my Lord that He not cause us to be overcome by an enemy so He granted me that.
Then I asked my Lord, the Most High, that He not make us into factions and that He not make us inflict harm upon each other but He did not grant this to me.' " [Reported by Ahmad, Nisa'i and at-Tirmidhi]
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Had Allah SWT sanctioned the prayer that was refused above, there would have been no division in the Ummah. We do have Sunni Muslims, Shia Muslims and many other categories.
How many groups are there?
http://www.wefound.org/texts/Muhammad_files/MuhammadAdherencetoIslam.htm ===
Abdullah Bin Amr (radhiallâhu anhu) narrated that Allâh’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam) said, “There will befall my Ummah exactly (all those) evils which befell the people of Isra'il, so much so that if there was one amongst them who openly committed fornication with his mother, there will be among my Ummah one who will do that; and if the people of Isra'il were fragmented into seventy-two sects
my Ummah will be fragmented into seventy-three sects. All of them will be in Hell Fire except one sect.” They (the Companions) said: “Allâh’s Messenger (sallallâhu ‘alayhi wasallam), which is that?” Whereupon he said: “It is one to which I and my companions belong.” (Tirmidhi 171)
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Whether the groups are explicitly identified or not, the Muslims are in seventy three groups as the above Tradition informs. Would these seventy three groups continue among the Muslims until the Day of Judgment?
http://www.searchtruth.com/searchHadith.php?keyword=Islam+strange+revert&translator=2&search=1&book=&start=0&records_display=10&search_word=all ===
(1) It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said: Islam initiated as something strange, and it would revert to its (old position) of being strange. so good tidings for the stranger. (Book #001, Hadith #0270) [Sahih Muslim]
(2) It is narrated on the authority of Ibn 'Umar ('Abdullah b. 'Umar) that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) observed: Verily Islam started as something strange and it would again revert (to its old position) of being strange just as it started, and it would recede between the two mosques just as the serpent crawls back into its hole. (Book #001, Hadith #0271)
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What was the state of Islam when Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, was alive? How many groups were there? All those who have studied the history of Islam as given in the Traditions would agree that there was just one group – all believers obeying Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, without even a murmur. So
we conclude that Muslims shall revert to the old stage – of being just one group. That group would be the victorious one that understands Islam and follows it. That group would enter Paradise, Inshah Allah.
What about the remaining seventy two groups? How are they to be removed? What would happen to them?
http://www.searchtruth.com/searchHadith.php?keyword=dajjal+camp&translator=3&search=1&book=&start=0 ===
(1) Narrated Abdullah ibn Umar: When we were sitting with the Apostle of Allah (peace_be_upon_him), he talked about periods of trial (fitnahs), mentioning many of them. When he mentioned the one when people should stay in their houses, some asked him: Apostle of Allah, what is the trial (fitnah) of staying at home? He replied: It will be flight and plunder. Then will come a test which is pleasant. Its murkiness is due to the fact that it is produced by a man from the people of my house, who will assert that he belongs to me, whereas he does not, for my friends are only the God-fearing. Then the people will unite under a man who will be like a hip-bone on a rib. Then there will be the little black trial which will leave none of this community without giving him a slap, and when people say that it is finished, it will be extended. During it a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening, so that the people will be in two camps: the camp of faith which will contain no hypocrisy, and the camp of hypocrisy which will contain no faith. When that happens, expect the Antichrist (dajjal) that day or the next. (Book #35, Hadith #4230) [Sunan Abudawud]
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Just before the Antichrist appears a man will be a believer in the morning and an infidel in the evening.
During sleep his faith might become strong and thus he is a believer in the morning. However after interacting with others he might tend to agree with them and thus be a hypocrite. This implies
all kinds of people would survive until the end. We conclude that any attempt to eliminate even one of the seventy three groups would not succeed. Hence
it is meaningless and fruitless to attempt homogeneity among the people. Sectarian violence to make one group more powerful than another would not benefit mankind. All that it would achieve is perpetuate rivalry and continuous bloodshed. If we cannot eliminate the bad we could as well tolerate them and live among them.
Would there be separation at all? Yes, as indicated by the following Tradition.
http://www.searchtruth.com/searchHadith.php?keyword=dajjal+Medina+thrice&translator=1&search=1&book=&start=0 ===
(1) Narrated Anas bin Malik: The Prophet said, "There will be no town which Ad-dajjal will not enter except Mecca and Medina, and there will be no entrance (road) (of both Mecca and Medina) but the angels will be standing in rows guarding it against him, and then Medina will shake with its inhabitants thrice (i.e. three earth-quakes will take place) and Allah will expel all the nonbelievers and the hypocrites from it." (Book #30, Hadith #105) [Sahih Bukhari]
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After the hypocrites and the nonbelievers leave Medina one of the occupants of Medina would fight with Dajjal.
http://www.searchtruth.com/searchHadith.php?keyword=dajjal+medina+kill&translator=1&search=1&book=&start=0&records_display=10&search_word=all ===
(1) Narrated Abu Said Al-Khudri: Allah's Apostle told us a long narrative about Ad-dajjal, and among the many things he mentioned, was his saying, "Ad-dajjal will come and it will be forbidden for him to pass through the entrances of medina. He will land in some of the salty barren areas (outside) medina; on that day the best man or one of the best men will come up to him and say, 'I testify that you are the same dajjal whose description was given to us by Allah's Apostle .' Ad-dajjal will say to the people, 'If I kill this man and bring him back to life again, will you doubt my claim?' They will say, 'No.' Then Ad-dajjal will kill that man and bring him back to life. That man will say, 'Now I know your reality better than before.' Ad-dajjal will say, 'I want to kill him but I cannot.' " (Book #30, Hadith #106) [Sahih Bukhari]
(2) Narrated Abu Sa'id: One day Allah's Apostle narrated to us a long narration about Ad-dajjal and among the things he narrated to us, was: "Ad-dajjal will come, and he will be forbidden to enter the mountain passes of medina. He will encamp in one of the salt areas neighboring medina and there will appear to him a man who will be the best or one of the best of the people. He will say 'I testify that you are Ad-dajjal whose story Allah's Apostle has told us.' Ad-dajjal will say (to his audience), 'Look, if I kill this man and then give him life, will you have any doubt about my claim?' They will reply, 'No,' Then Ad-dajjal will kill that man and then will make him alive. The man will say, 'By Allah, now I recognize you more than ever!' Ad-dajjal will then try to kill him (again) but he will not be given the power to do so." (Book #88, Hadith #246) [Sahih Bukhari]
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Some might argue that sectarian violence causes the occupiers to be tied down in maintaining security of the population and thus they cannot attack the insurgents. Such an approach is self-defeating. For argument sake, let us assume that the occupier leaves and Iraqis are left to fend for themselves. The sectarian violence would cause many families to lose one or more members and thus they have a right to take revenge.
Thus using sectarian violence to defeat the occupier would simply make Iraq ungovernable. Instead if the insurgents fight the occupier without instigating sectarian violence they might indeed win over the occupier.
In view of the suggestions made in USA that Iraq be divided into three provinces because of sectarian violence,
we could not rule out the possibility that the occupier having failed to achieve a decisive victory over the insurgents
is instigating the sectarian violence. Such a strategy was implemented in the case of the Indian subcontinent. Then the Muslims were fooled. Had they remained united and lived with non-Muslims as the left-over Muslims did, both Pakistan and India would have prospered. We hope Muslims would not be fooled again, in Iraq now.
We hope that the sectarian violence would end and that the Muslims – Shis, Sunni, and Kurd – would unite as Muslims and live in prosperity.
Please make the following Dua or a better one.
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Allahumma salli ala Muhammad wa ali Muhammad kama sallaita Ibrahim, wa baraka ala Muhammad wa ali Muhammad kama baraktaala ali Ibrahim. Fi'l alamin, innaka Hamidu'm – Majid.
Ya Allah remove the sectarian violence among Muslims. Ya Allah unite all the Muslims of Iraq and give them victory and peace.
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We invoke blessings on Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, first and make the supplication as we are taught that just after the invocation of the blessings on Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, any good request we make would be granted.