Sunni and Shi’ite leaders in the state of Michigan which has one of the largest Arab-American communities in the US signed a pact Thursday affirming their commitment to speak out against conflicts between the two Islamic sects.
The “Intra-Faith Code of Honor” is designed to decrease the likelihood of the sectarian tensions between Sunnis and Shi’ites in war-ravaged Iraq from occurring in the US. The Detroit-area is home to about 300,000 Arab-Americans, including many Iraqi immigrants.
“The meeting was to come together, particularly with all the rumors and speculation that there are problems,” said Victor Ghalib Begg, chairman of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan. “It’s important that we celebrate our diversity and have a good system in place in case something does happen.”
Under the code, local Muslim leaders from each sect have pledged not to say disparaging things about the other.
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Olmert Wants to Testify Again
(IsraelNN.com) Aides to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Thursday that Olmert wants to testify before the Winograd Commission a second time. Much of the criticism against Olmert was based on testimony from Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, they said, and Olmert did not agree with her version of events. According to the aides, Olmert wants to testify again in order to set things straight. Livni told the commission about things that “never, ever were,” one aide said.
As an example, Livni told the commission that she pushed for a diplomatic solution from the beginning, and warned Olmert to make sure fighting ended quickly on the second day of the war. Olmert argues that the conversation Livni mentioned never took place, and that Livni did not speak of a political goal to the fighting until much later.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/126224