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Sunnis of different age groups take part in the reconstruction effort.
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By
Mazen Ghazi and Nada Omran, IOL Correspondents
BAGHDAD,
February 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – In a gesture of goodwill,
Iraqi Sunnis in the northern city of Samarra are working tirelessly to
rebuild the Golden Mosque, one of the holiest Shiite shrines which was
devastated in an odious explosion last week.
"The
initiative came soon after the explosion in solidarity with our Shiite
brothers," Abu Oqba Al-Samarrai told IslamOnline.net Monday,
February 27, after collecting golden pieces of the mosque's destroyed
dome.
He
said people of different age groups have volunteered to remove the
ruble in a love demonstration.
"Elderly,
women, children and men of [predominantly Sunni] Samarra rush to the
tomb to remove the debris, using shovels and manual carriages,"
he explained.
Women
provided food and water to exhausted men after a long day of hard work
to get the job done as soon as possible.
"The
men chant in unison Islamic songs to kill time," Samarrai said.
More
than 200 people have been killed since Wednesday, February 22, when
the Golden Mosque was destroyed in a bombing that sparked a wave of
tit-for-tat killings and led the defense minister to warn of the
danger of "endless civil war."
The
main Sunni political coalition announced on Thursday, February 23,
boycotting talks on government formation after the sectarian attacks,
while Shiite leader Muqtada Al-Sadr ordered protection for Sunni
mosques in predominantly Shiites areas.
On
Saturday, February 25, Shiite scholars from the Sadr and Khalsi
schools met with Sunni leaders in Baghdad's premier Sunni mosque Abu
Hanifa, where they both prayed under the leadership of prominent Sunni
imam Abdel Salam Al-Qubaissi.
The
meeting also announced the formation of a commission to
"determine the reasons for the crisis with a view to solving
it," while also calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of US
troops.
Donations
Chairman
of the Sunni Waqfs Ahmad Abdul Ghaffor Al-Samarrai has declared that
his body will donate two billion Iraqi dinars ($1,350 million) to
reconstruct the shrine..
The
Shiite shrine contains the tombs of the 10th and 11th imams, Ali
Al-Hadi, who died in 868 A.D., and his son Hassan Al-Askari, who died
in 874 A.D.
Tradition
says the shrine, which draws Shiite pilgrims from around the world, is
near the place where the last of the 12 Shiite imams, Muhammad
Al-Mahdi, disappeared.
Shiites
believe he is still alive and will return to restore justice to
humanity.
Shiite
scholar Jawad Al-Khalsi has said the shrine bombing was a planned and
a specialist work.
The
Iraqi capital returned to relative normality on Monday with the end of
an extended curfew that had seen a traffic ban to reduce the threat of
further violence.
Residents
were moving freely, with cars back on the roads under the direction of
traffic police.
Also
read:
Sunnis
& Shiites: Overlooking Differences
Iraqi
Sunnis Battle To Defend Shiites
