Pakistan News And Discussion-9

[Guest]

<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>Iraq’s fratricidal war</b>
TFT.com
Farrukh Saleem
Americans are not dying in Iraq, Muslims are; Americans are not killing Muslims in Iraq,  Muslims are 
   
Iraqi Muslims are killing each other by the busloads. Look at the figures: American military casualties in Iraq stand at 3,014 (as of 9 January 2007). On the other hand, Iraqi Muslims killed by Muslims: 53,040. Within Iraq, there is the Arab-Kurd divide and then there is the Shia-Sunni divide. Ethnically, Iraq is 75 percent Arab and 20 percent Kurd (5 percent other). Theologically, Iraq is 63 percent Shia and 34 percent Sunni (3 percent other). The ethnic divide is less explosive but, as is always the case, the worst of all human hatreds is theological hatred.

Iraq’s Muslims seem to have devised a unique way of forcing the Americans out: Shias and Sunnis killing each other by the thousands. America is in trouble not because American lives are being lost but because so much of America’s military assets are bogged down in Iraq that America is being unable to threaten her other adversaries (America lost 58,209 lives in Vietnam as opposed to 3,014 in Iraq).

There is a de facto civil war in Iraq; theological hatred is pitting Shias and Sunnis against each other. For Americans, Shias and Sunnis targeting each other is better than Shias and Sunnis targeting Americans. Kurds remain loyal to Washington and Shias are under Grand Ayatollah Sistani’s fatwa “not to take up arms against the occupying force”.

<b>Is Iraq in the process of being partitioned? Shias are leaving Sunni strongholds of Falluja, Tikrit and Ramadi. Sunnis are leaving Shia strongholds of Karbala, Kufa, Najaf, Basra, Nasiriyah, Amara and Al Kut. Iraq’s Shia-Sunni theological hatred is 500-year old with roots in Safavid-Ottoman wars for the domination of Iraq (Safavids were the first to declare Shia Islam as the official religion of Iran). Under Safavids, Iraqi Sunnis were victimised (1623-38). Under the much longer reign of the Ottomans, Iraqi Shias were persecuted for nearly 300 years (1638-1916).</b>

<b>Baghdad is not about American occupation any more; it’s all about Shia domination of the region, it’s all about Baghdad’s occupation by Iran. Shia domination is what Sunni Kingdoms – led by Saudi Arabia – are not prepared to accept. Whether America withdraws or not, stage is all set for Muslims to slaughter Muslims by the truckloads.</b>

In the Middle East, sectarian (read: Shia-Sunni) balance of power is up for grabs. In Iraq, an average of 36 Muslims are being killed by other Muslims every day; Sunni men found with holes drilled through their heads and Shia men with ‘traitor’ carved across their bodies. Every civil war has a purpose. Unfortunately, in Iraq’s civil war Muslims will kill other Muslims for as long as there are “motives and opportunities for further violence”.

On the left side of the ring are Iran, Mahdi Army and Badr Organisation. On the right, Saudi Arabia, Ansar al-Sunnah and Ikhwan Movement (plus Ansar al-Islam). Americans back both Shia as well as Sunni militias for their own advantage.

While Muslims are busy killing Muslims, George Bush issued his Executive Order 13303. The EO 13303 “provides an extraordinarily broad legal shield for any and all contractors and mercenaries working in Iraq on behalf of US corporations in any oil related enterprise (for details visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_13303).”

<b>Here are two issues that we Muslims tend to ignore about Iraq: First, Americans are not dying in Iraq, Muslims are; second, Americans are not killing Muslims in Iraq, Muslims are killing each other. </b>
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