Trouble in Iraq

Ryan Osgood told us last week about "sectarian violence" in Iraq. But a large percentage of the class weren't really sure who the sects were (in fact, a lot of the class still thinks we were saying something about "sex", but they couldn't quite catch what), or what they were be violent about.

So let's try putting together a little primer.

Comparing Sunni and Shiite (Shia) Muslims

(This first bit of information comes from a site call Everything2.com. This seems to have been submitted by an amateur, so I can't vouch 100% for the information. But it's boiled it down better than a lot of other places I looked).

"The Sunnis and the Shiites are the two main groups of Muslims. They have many things in common, but here we focus on the differences. Bias warning: I lean towards the Sunnis, but I'll try to be objective as I can.

• Both agree on the primary source, the Qur'an.

• Shiites believe that Ali, the cousin of Muhammad should have taken over leadership of the Muslim community. (Aside: The name Shiites comes from this fact. "Shia" in arabic means "faction" or group. Shiites refers to the faction of people supporting Ali). Sunnis feel that what happened historically was acceptable [the line of succession was passed down another way]. This is probably the key difference, everything follows from this.

• Shiites believe that to lead the Muslims you have to be from Muhammad's family. Sunnis believe that anyone having the qualities of the leader, regardless of lineage, has the right to lead.

• Shiites believe in twelve religious leaders called imams will rule, and that the last of these is currently sleeping in a cave. Sunnis have no such belief, and feel that these imams are imbued with powers that only God has, which is not acceptable for Sunnis.

• Shiites have slightly different laws. For example, Shiites are allowed to have temporary marriages (marriage for a fixed time), Sunnis are not -- marriages have to be made with the intention of permanence.

• Shiites have slightly different ritual practices. For example, the Shiites pray with their arms by their sides, Sunnis pray with their arms folded at the sternum."

As regards Iraq, the Sunnis have fewer numbers of adherents, but they dominated politcal power during the 20th century, and the Shiites had to restrict their public worship and ceremonies. With the deposing of Sadam Hussein, the Shiites gained a freedom that they had not had in years.

The Sunnis, who went from being in control to being a minority, are worried about what this means for their future. For years the Shiites could not celebrate the holiday Ashura. Since the fall of Sadaam, they have been able to. Unforunately, their celebratrions have been plagued by violence.

Ryan's stories told of sectarian killings. An article in today's New York Times follows up on that. A major problem is that these killings were performed not by some gang or insurgent group, but by a group operating out of a government agency, the Interior ministry.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, Feb. 20 — The American ambassador to Iraq issued an unusually strong warning on Monday about the need for Iraq's political factions to come together, hinting for the first time that the United States would not be willing to support crucial public institutions plagued by sectarian agendas.

"The United States is investing billions of dollars" in Iraq's police and army, said the ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad. "We are not going to invest the resources of the American people to build forces run by people who are sectarian."

Mr. Khalilzad spoke at a news conference on a day of fresh violence across Iraq. It was the bloodiest day in almost two months.

He was addressing allegations that Shiite death squads operate within the Interior Ministry.

Such reports have grown in recent months, with accounts of hundreds of Sunni men being rounded up by men in police uniforms and found dead days or weeks later.

In order for our Iraqi adventure to be a success at the end of the day, the US is hoping for a non-religious, non-sectarian democracy to be established, leading the way for democratic reform in the rest of the Middle East. What we don't want is a descent into a decades long civil war.

American officials have long argued that new cabinet ministers should place the interests of their country over those of their sects. But by linking American financing to a fair, nonpartisan army and police force, even if not intended as a direct threat, Mr. Khalilzad pressed the American position more forcefully and publicly than before.

American officials are working to draw Sunni Arabs into the new government in an effort to build a stable society and begin bringing American troops home. Allaying Sunni concerns over overtly biased ministries is seen as an essential part of that effort.

The attacks on Monday, however, raised fresh fears of renewed violence.

Give the Bush adminstration credit. They're trying to get this straightened out. The question is: Will they be able to succeed?