NAJAF, Iraq — At a conference for dialogue between religions and sects in Baghdad on Jan. 31, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said that defending Shiites and Sunnis cannot be achieved by saying “O Shiites” or “O Sunnis,” but through cohesion and dialogue between the various components of the people in the face of terrorism.

“No person is entitled to take the law into his own hands,” he said, denouncing reprisals happening in the name of the law.

Abadi’s words came in response to vengeful human rights violations occurring in areas liberated from the Islamic State (IS), saying: “The killings, the attacks on holy sites, burning people’s homes and attacking life and property in the liberated areas is no less serious than terrorism.”

In his speech, Abadi talked about how justice in Iraqi society is typically understood. This understanding is incompatible with modern developments in resolving human conflicts. Iraqis generally see justice in the contexts of revenge and reprisals. This is reflected not only in Iraqi public opinion, but also in the country’s legal and judicial systems. In contrast, revenge is no longer part of justice in modern political philosophy nor in a modern country’s legal and judicial practices.