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Middle East Peace Process Lagging
Expert Says There Will Be No Peace Accord Unless Religious Leaders Are Part of the Process
| Source: Arkady Povzikov
THORNHILL, ON--(Marketwire - August 11, 2009) - If not now, when? That was the question posed
to President Barack Obama by Jordan's King Abdullah, who met with the
President in Washington last week.
He warned that unless headway was achieved in the dormant peace process,
the Middle East could be heading toward renewed open conflict. Speaking to
a group of Washington diplomats, the Jordanian monarch said he was truly
worried by the prevailing trend developing in his region.
"I do not want to talk about missed opportunities," King Abdullah said. "I
want to focus on the urgency of not missing any more."
But the opportunity will surely be missed, according to one expert, if
religious leaders are excluded from the dialogue.
"No peace accord will work, regardless of who signs it, if the religious
leaders of the region aren't included in the process," said Arkady
Povzikov, author of "The Thirteenth Apostle" (www.arkadybooks.com).
"Political leaders may make policy, but the religious leaders hold the
hearts and minds of the people. Palestinian political leaders struggle to
keep militant factions dormant during ceasefires, 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.
"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. So, if we believe the same things in our own cultures, why
can't we work together to solve our global problems? Everybody thinks their
religion is the One," Povzikov said. "But if the religions of the world
would agree to tackle serious world problems together, you could bring
millions of hearts, hands and minds together to find a solution."
About Arkady Povzikov
Povzikov was born in Leningrad in the former Soviet Union. After studying
economics, he immigrated to Canada in 1973. After graduating from high
school and the Industrial College he served in the Soviet Army.