Bottom lines

"It is precisely because of religious illiteracy that people are prepared to believe anything that charlatans propagate. They speak in the name of Islam, and ingenuous and unsuspecting religious illiterates believe the humbug." -- Ragab El-Banna, Al-Ahram

"This generation of Muslims and Christians has seen an unprecedented amount of [inter-sectarian] violence and terrorist acts, some of which were directed at the entire society and some at Christians in particular." -- El-Sayed Abdel-Raouf, Nahdet Masr

"The ministers who are responsible for economic policies have sold the country cheaply." -- Rifaat El-Said, Al-Ahrar

"If those who pulled out of the government want to save face and prove their loyalty to Iraq, they should form a constructive opposition front. But if they insist on destroying the present government by supporting armed insurgency, that would lead to complete political chaos not only for Maliki's government but for anybody who seeks Iraq's best interest." -- Abdel-Khalik Hussein, Al-Rafidayn

"The US-UK search for an international way out for the Iraqi crisis is a repetition of what happened in Afghanistan where they succeeded in spreading the crisis to other states. The Afghan case has become a political and humanitarian crisis not only for US troops but for all the troops in Afghanistan. The scenario could be repeated in Iraq if the real reasons behind the conflict are ignored and a solution is reached by exporting the crisis." -- Aisha Al-Murri, Al-Ittihad

"The government crisis will not be resolved whether Maliki stays or leaves. It is merely the outcome of the major crisis: the occupation." -- Amal Al-Sharqi, Al-Arab Al-Yom

Caption: Al-Maliki calls for internal dialogue while the flattened Iraqi house is fully exposed to the outside world. By Amgad Rassim of Asharq Al-Awsat

C a p t i o n 2: Al-Maliki calls for internal dialogue while the flattened Iraqi house is fully exposed to the outside world. By Amgad Rassim of Asharq Al-Awsat

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