BAGHDAD,
February 21 (IslamOnline.net) - Amidst a heated controversy triggered by
Washington’s opposition to Islam being the principal source of
legislation in Iraq, the U.S.-handpicked Interim Governing Council
refused to reaffirm the Arab identity of Iraq in the temporary
constitution.
The
council is charged with writing the temporary constitution, or
fundamental law, that will govern Iraq until national elections are held
in 2005, a job that should be finalized before February 28.
The
majority of the council members have turned down a memorandum submitted
by the General Secretariat of National Action in Iraq that the
constitution clearly stipulates that Iraq is part and parcel of the Arab
nation, well-informed Iraqi sources told IslamOnline.net Saturday,
February 21.
They
also reported heated controversy inside the Washington-sanctioned body
on issues of elections, Islamic Shari’ah and Iraq’s Arab identity in
the draft.
Anti-Arab
Sources
within the Iraqi nationalist trend accused the council of turning a
blind eye to "the historical and geographic facts."
Refusing
to reaffirm Iraq’s Arabism, the sources maintained, "is simply
meaningless. This self-evident fact is stronger than the political will
of opponents in the council."
They
underlined that "opponents represent an anti-Arab trend toeing the
demands of the U.S.-led occupation authority to separate Iraq from the
Arab world."
The
Independent Democrats Alliance of Adnan Pachachi, who sets on the
governing council, was the only party to defend the memorandum.
"The
anti-Arab trend is unveiling its ugly face trying to blame all Iraq’s
illness on Arabs," Dr. Abdel-Karim Hani, a prominent Arab
nationalist, told IslamOnline.net.
"This
grudging trend does not only promote its ideas among naïve citizens but
makes public such positions through their mouthpieces in the governing
council."
Arab
Problems
Samir
Yuhanna Batto, a Christian member of the Communist party, vocalized
opposition to Iraq’s Arabic identity.
He
claimed that the regime of ousted president Saddam Hussein entrenched
nationalistic concepts and imposed it on Iraq.
"Relations
with the Arab nation only created problems for Iraq," he argued.
"Now
that Iraq has gained its freedom and rid itself of the Baathist regime,
there will be no return to such concepts," said Batto.
He
said the new constitution should not refer to the Arabic identity of
Iraq because this would "stipulates responsibilities we do not
believe we need to shoulder."
"We
want to build a new democratic Iraq that steers clear of Arab
problems."
The
Heart
Lawyer
Shaza Al-Mohamadawy, a Nasserite [a trend named after late Egyptian
president Gamal Abd el-Nasser who was known for his nationalist
stances], asserted that "Iraq was and will continue to be the heart
of Arabism."
"None
of those (council’s members) has the right to strip Iraq of its Arab
identity, falsify its nationalist character or burry its inseparable
relations with the Arab nation," she said.
According
to IslamOnline.net’s correspondent some partisan newspapers, issued in
the wake of the U.S. occupation, are sponsoring an anti-Arab and
anti-nationalists campaign.
Members
of such groups have repeatedly assaulted Palestinians and Syrians
residing in Iraq.
Four
Egyptians were killed in similar attacks on Thursday, February 19, in a
Baghdad neighborhood.
Iraqi
media sources said the four victims, three men and a woman, described
the attack as pre-mediated murder as part of an anti-Arab campaign.
