ISLAM-CHRISTIAN DIALOGUE

86 IRAQ, NOT ONLY OIL-II 12-20 It is not Utopia. A Christian Arab writes about Iraq. His name is Giuseppe Samir Eid and he is the author of essays on the relationship between Christianity, Judaism and Islam. To the analysis he sent us, he gave the title: "Iraq: not just oil". This is an appro- priate title, because the bet on the future of the country of the Tigris and Euphrates goes far beyond material wealth; it is a project of free and peaceful coexistence between peoples and religions. And pre- cisely from Iraq this future can be born and restore hope also to the Holy Land and Lebanon and to the tormented Midd- le East. "It's not a utopia," concludes Sa- mir Eid's analysis. Read for yourself. The Gulf war The bet on the future of the country of the Tigris and Euphrates goes far beyond material wealth; it is a project of free and peaceful coexistence between peoples and religions, between Muslims, Jews and Christians. And precisely from Iraq this fu- ture can be born and restore hope also to the Holy Land and Lebanon and to all the tormented Middle East. Iraq is not just oil, it is not utopia. The armed intervention in Iraq has deep and remote roots that I could trace back over a century and concern the situation of the Middle Eastern Arab world in ge- neral. I am referring in particular to some events that have profoundly influenced the state of sentiments of the Arab pe- oples towards the West and the United States in particular, propitiators of the ar- med intervention in Iraq: facts that have caused resentment towards the West, in detail described in the previous chap- ters and ruined in the attack on the Twin Towers on 11 September 2001. After 11th September 2001 The instability of the Middle East accom- panied by widespread hatred against the West were the main staples of Islamic ter- rorism, a source of danger not only for the USA but for the whole West and for the governments of the Mediterranean area themselves. An Arab population frustra- ted in its aspirations in terms of education, social assistance, health care, prosperity, would be easy prey to political disorder, continuing to pose a threat to the stability of the region and the world. At the same time, the majority presence of Saudi-born terrorists has shaken US confidence in the iron ally, the main crude supplier but still the financier of Islamic movements opposed to the western way of life. The main purpose of the armed intervention in Iraq in March was, in my opinion, to try to establish in the heart of the Arab world, at the gates of Saudi Arabia, a government that brings stability and does not hinder the normalization process of relations betwe- en Palestinians and Israelis; bring econo- mic well-being and security that serve as an example of government in the region. All financed with the proceeds of Iraqi oil. Development and justice in a climate of freedom will be the propellant for peace in the Middle East, isolating extremist fringes and proposing an example of nationalism (Arab and Israeli) devoid of religious extre- mism: the dream of coexistence between Muslims, Jews and Christians. The elimination of turbulence in the region would deprive young people of the motive for emigrating, hoarding the assets inve-