"Take tight hold of God's rope altogether, and do not part in sects; but remember the favours of God towards you, when ye were enemies and He made friendship between your hearts, and on the morrow ye were, by His favour, brothers."

(The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 3 - Imran's Family)

"Be not like those who parted in sects and disagreed after there came to them manifest signs; for them is mighty woe, on the day when faces shall be whitened and faces shall be blackened."

(The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 3 - Imran's Family)

"Say, 'He is able to send torment on you from above you and from beneath your feet, and to confuse you in sects, and to make some of you taste the violence of others."

(The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 6 - Cattle)

"Lest ye say, 'The Book was only sent down to two sects before us; verily, we, for what they read, care naught."

(The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 6 - Cattle)

"He has enjoined upon you for religion what He prescribed to Noah and what we inspired thee with, and what we inspired Abraham and Moses and Jesus,-to be steadfast in religion, and not to part into sects therein-a great thing to the idolaters is that which ye call them to! God elects for Himself whom He pleases and guides unto Himself him who turns repentant."

(The Qur'an (E.H. Palmer tr), Sura 42 - Counsel)

We behold, in the modern Ummah of Islam, the truth of the above words, written large in blood upon the sands of Iraq! Where is the mercy of the All-Merciful to be found? Is a remedy to be found among those who believe as above, or no?

Whosoever reads this blog, please forward a message to the conference being held in the ‘Abode of Peace’ - which, after all, is the meaning of the name of the city - Baghdad!

Whatever the hurts of the past, even the recent past, are - they must be discussed calmly, rationally, and find remedy within the framework of the present situation. You are all Muslims, followers of the Prophet [pbuh]!! Begin from that point, you shall find peace amongst yourselves, and a release and remedy from the machinations of them who would take violence for their remedy!

Irrespective of what the ‘International Community’ would suggest to you from without, find ye peace within. From that point, you will be able to locate the true peace in Iraq. Then, as our late President Kennedy said: ‘The glow from that fire shall truly light the world.’

At the very least, it will surely set a glow over your fair country, not a glow of physical fire and bombs, but rather a glow of peace and calm resolution. We will all rejoice in that!!

A concerned American