Iraq Press Roundup

Al Sabah newspaper had an editorial Monday titled "Violence: Words, culture and behavior."

It said spreading tolerance and charity was a positive alternative that could open a "page" untouched by hatred.

"To achieve this goal is to make a lot of effort based on strong beliefs," it said.

It said backers of tolerance call for a framework relying on education and ethics that view schools as a start of bigger change, aimed at guaranteeing a future.

"The new generations should be freed from using words and expressions related to violence so the young grow up with a clean memory, empty of hatred," the paper said.

It also said those who try to reform are dealing with it in an ignorant way.

The editorial disagreed with those who called for an end to the teaching of poetry that has violent expressions.

"This limited vision has confused those who call for the change. … There should be a wider thinking to reveal the use of words in literature is to praise the right and to confront oppression and not a title for random killings or cruelty," it said.

"Throughout the Arab history and culture, there is no poetry or speech that present swords or fighting as tools for violence or bloodshed," it said.

The paper said that during the Abbasid era, the words of violence were replaced by different aspects such as songs, music and entertainment, but it was the worst in terms of marginalization and oppression.

It said the culture of violence was brought by the oppressed political and religious groups when the first chance of freedom and liberation exploded.

"We mustn't forget to free the minds of the new generation from any concept and content that could lead to violence, killing or marginalization," it said.

The paper said the world should no more refer to the old "black" eras. … "We should not move the old eras to the present and the future so we don't create violent concepts for certain words used in the past."

"Those who call for the removal of violent references from the past are in fact bringing those concepts back to the field," it said. "They should focus on the present events that bear the guilt of wide spreading violence concepts."

"What encourages violence is not the past, it is the frightening names given to military operations against groups and cities in Iraq," it commented.