BAGHDAD — Against a backdrop of rising sectarian tensions in Iraq, a landmark initiative has been launched to promote "communal" marriages among the country's religious and ethnic mosaic in an effort to cement national unity.
"The initiative is meant to bolster social unity and patriotism among the Iraqis," Khaled Al-Mashhadani, chairman of al-Afaf (modesty) charity which champions the initiative, told IslamOnline.net Monday, August 21.
The initiative is basically meant to help people from various Iraqi sects such as Shiites, Sunnis Kurds and Turkomans to tie the knot.
"This initiative is unique in the light of mounting sectarian tensions fueled by the US occupation," Mashhadani said.
"This sectarianism is alien to our society and had never been there before the US occupation," he noted.
Iraq has been plagued by a series of Shiite-Sunni attacks since the February bombing of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra.
Sunni and Shiite holy places were increasingly targeted in the aftermath and many people opt now for praying at home.
In the most appalling sectarian attacks, at least 50 Sunnis were killed on July 9, by masked Shiite gunmen who stormed a Sunni neighborhood, set up checkpoints, entered people's houses and killed those whose identity cards marked them as Sunnis.
Many Iraqis, Sunnis and Shiites, had lined up at state registries over the past few months, believing that name changing is the best protection.
Appealing
The initiative has appealed to some Iraqis.
"We have received more than a hundred requests since the launch of the initiative," Mashhadani said.
He, however, said that lack of enough funds was the main obstacle to accept requests as the charity fully undertakes financial responsibility on behalf of grooms.
Mashhadani voiced hope that the initiative would be supported by Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nuri Al-Maliki.
Activist Salma Abdul-Wahab said if past is any indication, the initiative will prove successful.
"Iraqi society, for thousands of years, has seen such communal marriages between different ethnic sects," she said, calling on the Iraqi intelligentsia to rally behind the effort.
Fallujah Women
Mashhadani also unveiled another initiative to marry off Iraqi women in Fallujah, west of Baghdad, who lost their husbands in the bloody 2004 US offensive in the city.
Fallujah, which used to be a resistance hub, was the scene of one of the bloodiest US raids since the start of the US-led invasion-turned-occupation in March 2003.
A November 2004 offensive left at least 700 people killed, including children and women, and thousands injured.
He said that his charity has already championed a number of initiatives across Iraq to help youths get married.
"We offered financial assistance and furniture for needy youths as well as organizing collective matrimonial ceremonies," he noted.