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The IUMS said it will form a team to draw up a formula on solving the Iraqi crisis.
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ISTANBUL — The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) urged Iraq's revered Sunni and Shiite scholars to shoulder their responsibility in stemming sectarian-based blood shedding, demanding the withdrawal of occupation forces from the country.
"Sunni and Shiite scholars should work together to maintain Iraq's unity against vicious attempts to fan sectarianism," the independent body said in a statement marking the conclusion of its two-day conference.
The Dublin-based IUMS called for convening a meeting of Sunni and Shiite scholars as soon as possible to draft a code of honor against sectarian killings.
It proposed that the meeting, to be coordinated with the umbrella Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), be held in a country that is not one of Iraq's immediate neighbors.
The IUMS vowed to form a team of its scholars to map out a complete plan to end the Iraqi crisis, calling for equal representation of all Iraqi sects in the different Iraqi institutions.
Top US commander in Iraq Gen. George Casey accused Shiite death squads of fanning unrest, linking them to al-Qaeda group.
Following talks with visiting US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, he said al-Qaeda had long sought to ignite sectarian violence in Iraq but death squads had now joined the fray to undermine security in the Iraqi capital.
"What we are seeing now as a counter to that are death squads primarily by Shiite extremist groups that are retaliating against civilians. And so you have both sides now attacking civilians."
Plague
The IUMS denounced ongoing killings and kidnappings plaguing Iraq.
"We strongly condemn all acts of violence, terrorism, killings, abductions and bombings targeting innocent people."
The IUMS, which groups both Sunni and Shiite scholars, condemned the targeting of mosques, imams and scholars.
Iraq has increasingly been plagued by sectarian-linked attacks, especially since the bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra in February.
Raging sectarian violence has increasingly taken its toll on mosques and worshipers, forcing many religious teachers and students to doff their distinguished uniforms to escape the sectarian hell.
The bloodshed has also prompted a redrawing of some neighborhoods, with minorities moving out and going to places where they are part of the majority community.
Many Iraqis, Sunnis and Shiites, lined up in droves at state registries over the past few months, believing that name changing is the best protection.
Early in the week, masked gunmen went on a rampage in a predominantly Sunni Baghdad neighborhood, killing at least 50 Sunni Arabs in a sectarian attack.
Zionist Crimes
The IUMS exhorted Muslims worldwide to bring help to the Palestinian people in their struggle against the Israeli occupation.
"Muslims everywhere must stand together in the face of the Zionist crimes against the Palestinian people and property," the statement said.
It praised the Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation as a legitimate right enshrined in all religions and UN resolutions.
At least 18 Palestinians, including seven children, were killed in separate Israeli attacks on Gaza Wednesday.
At least 70 Palestinians and one Israeli soldier have now been killed since Israel launched its Gaza Strip offensive on Wednesday, June 28, after an Israeli soldier was taken prisoner by Palestinian resistance groups.
Israel claims the onslaught, which has seen large parts of the coastal strip reoccupied and thousands of troops and military gear deployed, only aims at freeing the soldier.
The Palestinians, however, see the offensive as a bid to topple the Hamas-led government and inflict long-term havoc on Gaza's infrastructure.
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