On October 20, 2006, Sunni and Shiite religious scholars (ulama) from Iraq signed a 10-point declaration in Islam’s most venerated city – Makkah -- aimed at putting an end to sectarian violence in Iraq. The declaration, called the Makkah Declaration on the Iraqi Situation, was adopted under the auspices of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

The declaration states explicitly that the “common grounds between the two schools of thought (Sunni and Shiite) are many times more than areas of difference and their causes”. It reiterates that the “blood, property, honor, and reputation of Muslims is sacrosanct” as enunciated in the Noble Quran. For that reason, the declaration emphasizes: “No Muslim, whether he or she is Shiite or Sunni, may be subject to murder or any harm, intimidation, terrorization, or aggression on his property; incitement thereto; or forcible displacement, deportation, or kidnapping.” It also upholds the sanctity of all houses of worship, “including mosques and the non-Muslim houses of worship of all faiths and religions”. “Muslims, both Sunnis and Shiites,” the declaration continues, “all in unison champion the cause of the persecuted and unite against the oppressor and the unjust…” In similar vein, it urges the two Muslim groups to protect “the independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Iraq”.

Though some of the most prominent Iraqi ulama, such as Ayatollah Sistani and Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr from the Shiite community, and Shaikh Harith al-Dari and Shaikh Abd al-Karim Zaydan from the Sunni community, did not attend the meeting in Makkah, they expressed support for the declaration. It is because it has been endorsed by all Iraqi ulama that most observers regard the Makkah Declaration as a step forward. The OIC is now planning to bring together all the political leaders from the different parties and factions during the coming Hajj season in an attempt “to discuss all outstanding issues in order to achieve national unity and establish peace and stability in Iraq”.

Of course, declarations and meetings alone are not enough. What really matters is the ability to translate lofty intentions into concrete actions. Are the ulama and the politicians capable of preventing their followers from fighting and killing one another? So far there is very little evidence to show that they are.

Nonetheless, it is commendable that the OIC is making some moves. Perhaps it should now demand with one voice -- in the wake of the recent Republican defeat in the mid-term congressional elections -- that the United States and its allies withdraw immediately from Iraq and that the OIC itself, with the cooperation of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), will provide a peacekeeping force that will restore stability and security in a land that is bleeding to death.