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Iraq needs justice, not revenge

Iraq needs to move away from the mindset of revenge to the mindset of restorative justice.
A man walks past a poster, commemorating Shi'ite fighters who were killed in battles with Islamic State militants, at Tahrir Square in Baghdad February 7, 2015. Baghdad residents commended a decision by Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to end their city's nightime curfew on Saturday. Some form of curfew has been in place since the U.S.-led invasion to topple Saddam Hussein in 2003, hindering commercial and civilian movement. The midnight (2100 GMT) to 5 a.m. curfew has been in place for more than seven
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NAJAF, Iraq — At a conference for dialogue between religions and sects in Baghdad on Jan. 31, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that defending Shiites and Sunnis cannot be achieved by saying “O Shiites” or “O Sunnis,” but through cohesion and dialogue between the various components of the people in the face of terrorism.

“No person is entitled to take the law into his own hands,” he said, denouncing reprisals happening in the name of the law.

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