Discussion with the Muslim Youth Association

The Muslim Youth Association, founded in 1965, organised a packed and spirited meeting in North London this weekend on Democracy in Iraq and how it is seen here, with myself as speaker.

I detailed some of my experiences in three visits to Iraq and outlined the role of LFIQ in giving solidarity to the Iraqi trade unions and others, celebrating the marked achievements in recent months – improved security being the key one - whilst being well aware of various problems in the new Iraq.

These include the scourge of corruption, the position of women and the action being threatened against the Iraqi Teachers Union.

Most of them, I think, welcomed the overthrow of Saddam and recognised the sentiment behind the Iraqi Prime Minister’s recent comment to a German paper during the German Foreign Minister’s recent visit to Baghdad. According to the FT, “Mr Maliki said Iraq bore Germany no ill will for opposing the removal by force of Saddam Hussein's government.”

Many were highly critical of the mistakes made after the overthrow of Saddam which gave vent to the insurgents and brought the country to the verge of full-scale civil war.

They welcomed the need to increase and improve British-Iraqi relations and for Britain, on the basis of mutual benefit and respect, to become more involved in providing external investment and trade as Iraq seeks to rebuild its shattered economy after so many wasted years of violence, repression and war. And there is the need for Iraqis seeking to build their country almost from scratch to have access to training in a wide variety of professions including politics and administration.

Such meetings convince me further that the priority is for political activists and journalist to listen to Iraqis and not continue to see Iraq as just a domestic issue.

The importance of this is that once Iraq is seen as a less toxic issue then the obstacles to more people seeing Iraq for themselves and increased business with the country will be reduced.

Iraq and Britain have much in common – a chequered history for sure - and common enemies now such as Al Qaeda.

Many also talked about the problems Iraq has with its many neighbours which, for various reasons, are suspicious of or hostile to the new Iraq. There is only so much that outsiders can do to change this but it’s a question, as Iraqi union leaders told an LFIQ delegation to Iraq back in 2006, of helping them to stand on their own two feet.

A peaceful and democratic Iraq has the capacity not just of improving the lot of its long-suffering people but also of helping to reform the wider Middle East. As we have long argued here, Iraq is the hinge of our times.

Gary Kent