Bullets still fly in Iraq, but at the urging of a group of peace and justice activists, Minneapolis is moving toward a sister city relationship with the Shiite holy city of Najaf.

Their proposal was endorsed Tuesday by a Minneapolis City Council committee and is due for a full council vote on Friday.

Minneapolis would be the 10th U.S. city to establish sister-city relations with an Iraqi city. Najaf would be the 10th sister city for Minneapolis, joining a list that began with Santiago, Chile, in 1961 and includes cities in China, Sweden and Finland.

The proposal by the Iraqi & American Reconciliation Project builds on less-formal relationships instigated by former Minneapolis restaurateur Sami Rasouli. He operated Sinbad's on Nicollet Avenue until returning to his native Iraq in 2004 and now lives in Najaf. He returns to the United States annually to try to build bridges between Iraqis and Americans.

Working with Rasouli, the project developed letter exchanges among students, raised money for water filtration systems at 10 schools or hospitals in the Najaf area, and arranged shows of Iraqi art. Meanwhile, academics at the University of Minnesota and Kufa University in Najaf have begun discussing potential joint projects. A group of 13 Iraqis consisting of academics, former council members in Najaf and others is due to arrive in September.

"It's formalizing an existing relationship," said Minneapolis Council Member Betsy Hodges.

Najaf saw heavy fighting as recently as 2007, when U.S., British and Iraqi forces attacked Shia militia.

The sister city application describes Najaf as safer than other areas in Iraq and a haven for refugees from such places as Baghdad. It is about 100 miles south of the Iraqi capital and has a population at more than 500,000, or larger than Minneapolis.

It is considered the third-leading pilgrimage site for Muslims because of the burial site for the imam Ali, who Shiites consider the rightful successor to the prophet Mohammed.

The project began in 2007 and has an electronic mailing list of 250. Executive director Kathy McKay said shop owners and former business contacts of Rasouli are willing participants. "It's been quite touching to me how responsive Joe Public is to peace with Iraqis," she said.

Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438