Ghassan Atiyyah

IRAQ: One Hundred Years of Failure Ghassan Atiyyah's political life
 
Atiyyah is considered one of the first Iraqi thinkers to warn against the fragmentation of the state through sectarianism, even before 2003.
"Sectarianism is not a religious doctrine, but a political disease that arises when the state fails to be just."
Sectarianism is not a religious destiny, but a political consequence of the unequal distribution of power and opportunities.
The solution is not to abolish sects, but to neutralize them politically within a just democratic system.
Iraqi identity must be redefined as encompassing Shiites, Sunnis, Kurds, and Christians on an equal footing.