There were women in the committee of 23 members. The committee which had experts on constitutional law among them wanted to learn about the Turkish experience. They were in an endeavor for more cooperation, solidarity, more researches and creating science together. I could see the feeling that Turkish-Arab meeting evoked in the parties. I think the frequent visits by Arabs paid to Turkey began in 1980. At that time I was a professional tourist guide. I would travel in Istanbul with different groups of Arabs. I would tell about Topkapı Palace, the Hagia Sophia and Blue Mosque and many other historical places. I witnessed their feelings, excitement and surprise towards these trophy places.  

 

I have witnessed crying of those who know informal history, that is, those who came to Turkey and Istanbul upon the memoir that their fathers or grandfathers told and telling their grandfather’s memoirs in excitement. Sometimes, one would proudly say that his grandfather had been an Ottoman Officer. Those who remained under the influence of formal history were surprised to see so many mosques in Turkey and Turkish people’s going to mosques and doing their prayers. They would know Turkey and Turkish people as an atheist, irreligious society. Much of our talk would continue on covering the gap of this “lost history.”

 

Similar feelings evoked while I was talking to the Iraqi guests of the Institute of Strategic Thinking. The “surprise of lost memories” was clearly seen both on their face and those of us. The recent economic development of Turkey, erect standing against the invaders, challenging the Zionism and helping the innocent people and rising as a global power has already attracted their attentions. Thus they would conveniently say that they wanted to benefit from this experience. However, neither nor they knew anything about the recent past of each other. Despite of this we were proud of our common past.  

 

Our guest wanted to learn about the working method and publication of the institute. However, interestingly neither there were anyone among them who know Turkish well nor among us who know Arabic well. Our common language was again English at the points where we stuck. 

 

The majority of them were those who experienced oppression, war, and invasion since their birth. A different fate from this is not expected from Iraqi youth of course. First the Baath despotism, then war and then the US invasion, our addressees had already experienced all these and grew with these.

 

Referring to İbrahim Caferi they would emphasize the religious base of the relation between Islam and democracy. They underlined that group, ethnic, racial and communal differences were natural and that their transformation in a means of oppression was dangerous. They emphasized on the Hadith saying: “there is no superiority of Arab over non Arab, the superiority lies only in piety.” While listening to them we also got a picture of the problem in Iraq. But the philosophical ideas of Dr. Manal Finjan regarding the constitutional unity and democratization of Iraq became a hope for the country under invasion.  

 

the Iraqi National Renovation Movement had significant expectation both from Turkey and from us. They supported Turkish policy regarding the democratization and constitutional unity of Iraq. They expect support from Turkey against separation of Iraq and desire cooperation with Southern Iraq in commerce, culture and science. More importantly, rediscovery of the lost history was both their and our desire. I expect that this lost history will be rediscovered and resurrect in our universities and institutes.