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Visit of Mr. Ayad Jamal Aldin to Michigan

Under the auspices of the Iraqi Institute in Washington, and at the invitation of The Network of Iraqi American Organizations, the Iraqi community of Michigan hosted Mr. Ayad Jamal Aldin, member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives, who is visiting the US on behalf of the Iraqi National List.

Ayad Jamal Aldin is a Shiite clergyman known for his call to put religion away from the state affairs, and legislating secular laws; a phenomenon rare in a religious community. His interposition in Naseriya conference on the eve of the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in March 2003, in which he called for a secular state, became known and was extensively circulated in the media.

Mr. Ayad Ra'ouf Jamal Aldin was born in an Iraqi family in the city of Najaf in 1961. His roots descend from the city of Naseriya in the South of Iraq. His father is a scholar of Arabic language; he has written fifty books in Arabic language and creeds. Before he joined the primary education, he had learned at the hands of his father. He memorized parts of the pre-Islamic poetry at the age of four, and started writing poetry at the age of ten. His uncle is the well-known deceased poet Mustafa Jamal Aldin.

The Network of Iraqi American Organizations organized various interviews for Mr. Ayad to meet with media. Thus, he had an interview with two radio stations: Voice of the New Free Iraq, and the Chaldean Voice, and with MBN TV.

Mr. Ayad met with various representatives of different Iraqi community organizations in the evening of Friday, April 7. This was in an open, sincere meeting where Mr. Iyad urged the Iraqi community to raise their voices against terrorism and racism, and to support the political process in Iraq.

Moreover, Mr. Ayad Jamal Aldin met with Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim on Saturday, April 8. Both father Manuel Bogy and father Wesam Mathew attended the meeting. Topics discussed in the meeting included the difficulties facing Iraq and the influence of terrorism on the Iraqi people.

In the evening of Saturday, April 8, at the hall of Westin Hotel in Southfield, Mr. Ayad Jamal Aldin met with a large number of the Iraqi community members in a seminar titled "Lights on the Political and Democratic Future of Iraq." This was a wonderful meeting in which Mr. Ayad Jamal Aldin talked about secularism, religion, constitution, militias, democracy and the future of Iraq. The seminar was run by Mr. Nabil Romaya, from the Network of Iraqi American Organizations, and Mr. Haitham Al-Hassany, from the Iraqi Institute.

In his talk about Secularism, he said, "I am calling for secularism to defend religion. The Glorious Quran is seized by the Islamic state, because the state interprets it. We have to save the religion from the talons of the state." He also said that his call is not political. Rather, it is a religious, philosophical call, and it comes out of the belief that nothing harmed and deformed Islam and its teachings more than the Islamic State.

"So, in order to keep the sanctity of Islam, I believe that religion have to be separated from the state, and a barrier has to be put between the religion and the state, so that the state would not utilize the religion, which should remain in the hands of the religious leaders, who will enjoy full rights to propagate the teachings and rites of Islam in houses and communities," he added.

In his talk about the constitution, he said, "the state that dominated the constitution drafting process was the terror resulting from taking the past, and not the future, into consideration. The coalition was afraid of the terrible, bloody history that affected the Shia. The Kurds are also afraid of the harsh bloody history that they suffered before. Thus, fear of the past and striving to prevent its reoccurrence was the dominant state that affected those who drafted the constitution. Consequently, they did not draft it optimistically hoping for a better future. Rather, they put obstacles and impediments to prevent the appearance of a new dictator. They are right, and what they did is welcomed by the public. However, we should recognize that preventing the appearance of a new dictator should not lead to an extremely weak state."

In his talk about the new constitution and religion, he said, "I am not satisfied with the fact that the religion of the state is Islam, and that it is the main source, or one of the sources of, legislation. The paragraph which prevents the legislation of any law that contradicts the constant rules of Islam will lead to several impasses and is a key to creating a new case where a new Guardianship of Jurist-Consult will be applied."

In his talk about federalism, he said, "Federalism was ratified in the interim law of the state, and in the current constitution. However, parameters and powers of this federalism have to be defined. If federalism is only related to administration, then there is no objection to it. Better than federalism is the administrative decentralization, which will provide more flexibility to Baghdad and its government."

He also said, "Freedom and democracy can never be attained except under a secular Iraq which keeps the status of religions, and gives the believer, regardless of his religion and beliefs, the freedom of expression and the right to practice his/her rituals. The future of Iraq will never be shining unless militias are eliminated."

Mr. Jamal Aldin discussed all topics related to Iraq with a rare courage that is coming from a clergyman standing against the political process in it most serious phases.