DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 18, 2005

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BAGHDAD 003855

SIPDIS

STATE FOR INR/R/MR, NEA/PPD, NEA/PPA, NEA/AGS, INR/IZ, INR/P

E.0. 12958: N/A
TAGS: OPRC KMDR KPAO IZ
SUBJECT: DAILY IRAQI WEBSITE MONITORING - September 18, 2005

SUMMARY: Discussion on the Constitution and Terrorism were
the major editorial themes of Iraqi, Arabic language
websites on September 18, 2005. END SUMMARY.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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A. "The Constitution Isn't a Divine Book" (Iraq World, 9/18)

B. "The Bizarre Muslim Scholars Association" (Kitabat, 9/18)

C. "Towards a Tough Iraq" (Al-Rafidayn, 9/18)

D. "Dr. Farid Iyar Errors on Constitutional Federalism" (Al-
Nahrain, 9/18)

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SELECTED COMMENTARIES



A. "The Constitution Isn't a Divine Book"
(Editorial by Hussein Ali Ghalib - Iraq World -
http://www.iraqworld.net/article.php?section= articlemain.iq)

"How many discussions were held and how many topics were
written about the expected Iraqi constitution? Some
criticize it; others reject it; and some want to modify a
few of its points. We discovered that parties and people
were pleased with it and accepted all its various articles.
This is a good thing-to witness how our people and different
parties dealt with these topics.

"But the constitution is a specific document that our state
and people follow. It is not a divine book which should not
be changed or modified. In all the constitutional
experiences that take place in various countries, people or
their representatives can easily and simply modify any
article or item in the constitution. We are witnessing an
era where a lot of things are changing; we are part of this
era and we should cope with it or be affected by it.

"Any change to an article or item in the constitution should
be in accordance with the people. We do not want to relive
the past where the criminal Saddam (along with and regime)
said, `I'm the one who writes the constitution's article and
I'm the one who deletes any item in it, it's a mere piece of
paper.' We do not want this kind of pathetic talk. This
constitution, in whose drafting all components of the Iraqi
people participated, should lead Iraqis to safety."


B. "The Bizarre Muslim Scholars Association"
(Editorial by Abbas Al-Zebeidi - Kitabat - "Writings"
http://www.kitabat.com / independent)

"I believe the blood being shed each day in Iraq is the
blood of innocent victims succumbing to criminal minds, with
no means other than death to spread their ideas. The Muslims
Scholars Association has condemned the latest string of
explosive attacks carried out by Al-Zarqawi, who has
endorsed the killing of Shiites. But this condemnation is a
worthless one because it comes in the form of religious
advice to Al-Zarqawi to step back from these actions. What
advice and what religion could anyone use to address a
person who has adopted the killing of innocent people in a
brutal manner similar to the massacres that took place in Al-
Kadhumiya? Couldn't they have described this criminal and
those supporting him with their true qualities of barbarism
and brutality?

"And the strange thing is that the Association is advising
Al-Zarqawi to adopt an approach different from that taken by
the Iraqi government supported by the occupation! This is
very strange. How could you incite sectarianism and then
blame others for it? Many innocent people were slaughtered
in Tal Afar; the city had turned into a refuge for bandits
for more than a year and after the government responded to
the calls of the city's residents, it was accused of
committing actions of a sectarian nature, as if the
appropriate reaction would have been to kiss the hands of
these criminals and those supporting them.

"The government is not restricted to only one sect; it
includes Shiites, Sunnis, and others, covering all of Iraq
from north to south. I am not saying that it is a perfect
government, but it is non-sectarian and I believe that you
are the ones who find it difficult, with your ill sense of
sectarianism, to see a Shiite assume the leading post in
Iraq.
"We should live as brothers in Iraq, or else become victims.
We should abandon this sectarian mentality, even though it
might be difficult for some to understand the change, but we
should return to the Qur'an that shows us how to live in
harmony and share our lives in our homeland during both
sweet and bitter occasions. Enough with all the bloodshed."


C. "Towards a Tough Iraq"
(Editorial by Raghed Ali - Al-Rafidayn - "Two Rivers"
http://www.alrafidayn.com / independent)

"Many voices are vocal in this critical era of Iraq's
history; some support federalism, some do not. Some support
the constitution; others do not. But the new Iraqi reality
demands that many things be taken into consideration before
introducing any new element into Iraqi society.

"The transition from a suppressive dictatorship to a
democracy in which people demand to have a say in all issues
is something new. It has created a gap in ordinary people's
minds, leaving them in a state of incomprehension. On one
hand, political parties impose their beliefs on people
without any clarification of the terminologies, such as
`federalism,' `democracy,' and `constitution,' all of which
are unfamiliar to Iraqis. On the other hand, Islamic
movements place the same pressure on people by exploiting a
sensitive topic in all societies' religions, but they
overlook the first word that was revealed to the Prophet
Muhammad: "Recite."

"The Lord called upon people to think and contemplate before
demanding they believe, but this has never been expressed by
Islamic parties, who always call for either rejecting or
accepting a draft. No calls have been made to read it and
then make a decision about the document. This could transmit
the offensive message that only they possess mental capacity
while others do not. In addition to this, we have the direct
and indirect effects of foreign intelligence services acting
in Iraq, leading to a situation in which Iraqis have been
deprived of their right to decide-their decisions dictated
by their political, religious, or ethnic background.

"How can Iraqis understand all these new concepts while
carrying the heavy burden of the past? Can people overcome
all the surrounding events of bloodshed, deterioration of
services, and other mundane concerns accompanying them day
and night? Can't you see we are asking regular Iraqis for
more than they are capable?

"So we need to be careful when presenting new ideas to
Iraqis and telling them to strongly support or refute on
sound basis. The first step should be cleansing people's
minds of all remainders of the past, excluding any external
effects, and teaching Iraqis how to make their own
decisions. People should know why they refute and why they
support, and politicians should respect that. A tough Iraq
can only be built through enlightening the people to make
their own decisions regardless of allegiances to any faction
other than Iraq."


D. "Dr. Farid Iyar Errors on Constitutional Federalism"
(Editorial by Lateef Al-Wakeel - Al-Nahrain - "Two Rivers" -
http://www.nahrain.com/d/news/05/09/18/nhr091 8e.html)

"Dr. Iyar cited two cases that forbid Iraqis living abroad
from participating in the referendum: the first is legal and
the second is financial.

"The constitutional problem:


1. Dr. Farid Iyar said votes outside Iraq cannot legally
be added to any three-province federation. If that is the
case, we must ignore four million votes.

2. Iraqis will not decide Iraqism; rather, federalism will
identify who is the Iraqi.

3. One does not have the right to vote because he is
Iraqi; only people of the three-province federation have the
right to vote for a constitution which includes all Iraq and
every Iraqi.

4. The practical solution for provincial identification
would be to use the province in which an Iraqi living abroad
was born.

5. The more complicated problem is that a federal state is
incapable of guaranteeing Iraqi rights.

6. Federalism bestows Iraqi nationality.

7. The second legal contradiction: All are equal before
law. Here Iraqis living abroad are unequal before the law
because they are Iraqis but not federalists.

"Writing a new constitution is an art form. It is a fair,
honest, and sacred hardship understood through emotions,
feelings, conditions, and ambitions.
"The error is not in peoples' nature or political
conditions, but in drafting a constitution that ignores the
rights of Iraqis living abroad despite the fact that there
are more than four million, (i.e. approximately half of the
votes in the previous Iraqi election).

"While the cost of one vote was estimated at $400 due to the
inability of the International Organization for Migration to
do its tasks, not a single Iraqi would be able to
participate in elections if it were not for committees
supporting the Iraqi elections. These voluntary and non-
profit committees, assisted by embassies (after cleansing
them of Ba'athist intelligence apparatuses),are able to
participate in the referendum and elections and surely the
number of participants will double-especially after the
first experience. And this would not cost the Iraqi state
one penny. It provides for democratic education, it promotes
a good reputation for Iraq, and it guarantees a democratic
constitution."

SATTERFIELD