Religious Leaders Key to Peace in Middle East

THORNHILL, ON--(Marketwire - February 23, 2009) - With the results of the recent elections in Israel still murky, a new US Secretary of State, a new cease fire agreement and a renewed emphasis on the peace process, Arkady Povzikov, author of "The Thirteenth Apostle," Langdon Street Press (www.arkadybooks.com), believes the prospects for an accord are still mired in the same old problem.

"No peace accord will work, regardless of who signs it, if the religious leaders of the region aren't included in the process," Povzikov said. "Political leaders may make policy, but the religious leaders hold the hearts and minds of the people. Palestinian political leaders struggle to keep their militant factions dormant during cease fires, because their religious leaders are busy stoking the fire."

In his book, Povzikov layers a fictional story over a foundation of truths, which concern world religions, and a quest to find the truth about the heritage of his main character. In the end, the book underscores the need for the religious leaders of the world to come together.

"The sad irony is that Christians tend to think that if only Islam would shed its radical elements and gravitate to a moderate position, perhaps the major problems of the world could be solved. In the meantime, the radical elements of Islam won't stop until the world sees their view. It becomes a game of 'my God is better than your God,' and no one wins."

Povzikov said that the radical elements of each religion make up an insignificant population, and these elements are not traditionally respected by the mainstream.

"Think of it like this: Islam is to Islamic extremists as Christianity is to the Ku Klux Klan," Povzikov said. "No mainstream Christian family believes in racism the same way that no mainstream Islamic family believes in terrorism and destruction. So, if we believe the same things in our own cultures, why can't we work together to solve our global problems?"

About Arkady Povzikov

Povzikov was born in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union. After graduating from high school and the Industrial College he served in the Soviet Army. In 1991, Arkady published his first novel "Goodbye to the Nevsky." Arkady's second novel "The Purpose" was published in 2005. His third and most recent novel "The Thirteenth Apostle" was published in May 2008 through Langdon Street Press.

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