Princes and Sheiks of the Iraqi Tribes and Clans Sign a National Pact of Honor at Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim's Office
The princes and sheikhs of the Iraqi tribes and clans of different ethnics, religions and denominations have signed a national pact of honor at the office of Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraqi, with an objective to agree on a series of basic principles that safeguard the unity of the Iraqi people and land, establish the coexistence in the one country, forbid the Iraqi bloodshed and condemn any acts that aims to sow dissent and destroy the national unity.
This came during the symbolic meeting of the princes and sheikhs of the Iraqi tribes sponsored by Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim and held in his office in Baghdad Saturday, 22/6/2013.
The pact privileges the interest of Iraq over any other interest, forbids the Iraqi bloodshed, underlines the fighting against terrorism, condemns the denominational, religious and ethnic discrimination, establishes the principle of dialogue and peaceful coexistence, supports the Iraqi State and its constitutional institutions, and calls for respecting the law and its sovereignty.
In a speech delivered during the meeting, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim said Iraq's strength stems from that of its components and deluded are those who think that its strength can be achieved by weakening the other components, showing that the country can only rise through the efforts of its citizens and no single component will be able to assume the burdens of building the country. "Our big goal is to build Iraq and maintain the security, peace and coexistence among its citizens", he added. "In order to reach that goal, we all have to put our disputes aside and go forward".
In addition, Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, pointed that the intellectual and cultural occupation and invasion has played a big role in breaking the tribes apart, deviating them from their positive role, and abusing them so as to make them play a negative role and to smear them, all this for the purpose of tearing the nation apart. He explained that Islam worked on containing and protecting the natural links, such as the womb, the family, the tribe and the peoples. According to him, the tribes have played a great role in fighting the British occupation and during the 1920 Iraqi Revolt led by the marjas and religious scholars and which contributed to the rise of the modern Iraqi state. "Indeed the Iraqi tribes were the army of the marjas and the resort for the intellectuals and reformers who asked their help in issued such as independence, reform and building of institutions", he commented. "The tribes remained loyal to Iraq and its unity and were the security valve against sectarian rifts, political bigotry and the western cultural movements that tried to tearing the Iraqi social fabric apart". In fact, all these tribes have been protecting the Iraqi personality and the country's civilization and traditions, and remained the most faithful to its heritage and history, he continued.
Moreover, his Eminence said the Iraqi constitution has made sure that all tribes and clans be given an important role, introducing an article for that purpose. Article 45, section II says: "the State ensures the development of the Iraqi tribes and clans, governs their affairs conforming to the religious and legal rules, and reinforces their high human values in such way that contributes to the development of the society, and disapproves the tribal customs in conflict with the human rights". He explained that the tribes largely helped limit the religious, ethnical and denominational tensions, confirming that the tribes are the security valve against sectarianism and hatred, and the bulwark against the voices inciting on violence and terrorism.
In fact, his Eminence called for involving the tribes more and more in the promotion of the national reconciliation and the unity in order to stand up, as one bloc, to all forms of takfirism, violence, terrorism and exclusion of the other. He also asked the state, the society and the political forces to reconsider their policy towards the tribes, for the tribes, as he says, are not electoral tools or communities exploited for narrow political ends, rather a social component with material and moral resources that must be taken into consideration.
The Citizen Alliance towards the Enactment of a Statute at the Parliament
His Eminence stated that the Citizen Alliance working on the enactment of a statute at the Parliaments that is consistent with the constitutional article that disapproves the tribal customs in conflict with the laws and the human rights from one part, and promotes the development of tribes in such way as to contribute in the development of its social and economic situation as well as their society from another.
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim calls for lifting up the Iraqi tribes
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim called for lifting up the Iraqi tribes on the economic, social and political levels.
On the economic level, he urged the review of laws on the property and the ownership by peasants, investors and whoever wants to give life to the lands that are having a severe slump in productivity and agricultural and animal resources, stressing the necessity of providing easy auto-finance funds for tribes.
Socially speaking, his Eminence called for helping the tribes play their great long-standing role especially in the places where they are settled, i.e. in the villages and the countryside.
Socially speaking, his Eminence called for helping the tribes play their great long-standing role especially in the places where they are settled, i.e. in the villages and the countryside.
On the political level, he said the economic and social development will give a political role to the countryside in order to be involved in the political arena.
His Eminence said the dialogue is the best way to get the rights and reinforce everyone's strength, since the strength emerges when each of us defends the others' rights, considering it as the real solidarity and the real source of power. According to him, deluded are those who think they can get their rights by excluding the others or at the expenses of other's rights.
"We don't want to build a meaningless personal glory, yet we want to build the glory of Iraq and help it replay its civilization role", he commented. "The best glory one can ever build is when he puts his efforts and capacities in the service of the human being in general, and of his compatriots". He also added, "Now that the provincial council elections and the formation of the local governments in most of the provinces are done, we are serious in proceeding with the carrying out of the program we drew up for the next four years for the provinces".
"We don't want to build a meaningless personal glory, yet we want to build the glory of Iraq and help it replay its civilization role", he commented. "The best glory one can ever build is when he puts his efforts and capacities in the service of the human being in general, and of his compatriots". He also added, "Now that the provincial council elections and the formation of the local governments in most of the provinces are done, we are serious in proceeding with the carrying out of the program we drew up for the next four years for the provinces".
