We keep hearing that democracy won't work in Iraq and that Muslim countries cannot join the modern world because the problem of sectarian division runs too deep. Often it is simply presumed that the Sunni-Shia difference is so profound and contentious that there is simply no hope for a country like Iraq to hang together, and Americans may as well pack up the tent and move out.
Most of the time these arguments are pure ethnocentrism, a projection of Western views of religious warfare onto the Islamic world. But historian Bernard Lewis notes that there is nothing in Islam that compares with the bloody clashes between the Protestants and the Catholics in Europe. Theologically, there is virtually no difference between the Shia and the Sunni. Contrary to the repeated assertions of Congressman John Murtha and others, the Shia and the Sunni have not been fighting for centuries. Only two decades ago they were fighting side-by-side to repel the Soviet Union from Afghanistan.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's defense of the Khomeini regime during his recent New York trip reminds us that Islamic radicalism is not exclusively a Sunni or a Shia phenomenon. Iran is a Shia country, and Hezbollah, which periodically dispatches its rockets into Israel, is also Shia. By contrast, Hamas is largely Sunni. Al Qaeda is Sunni. The Iraqi insurgents launching suicide attacks against American soldiers are overwhelmingly Sunni.
If we focus too much on the Shia-Sunni division, we are likely to miss the telling fact that Islamic radicalism comes out of both camps. Yes, the Shia and Sunni are at odds in Iraq, but that's because Saddam recruited his henchmen largely from his fellow Sunnis. This minority ruled Iraq despotically for a quarter century. Now the Shia majority is in power, and the displaced Sunnis are trying to shoot their way back into the government. This is a gang fight, not a religious clash, and the solution is not some kind of American-led ecumenical reconciliation. Rather, we should pick the side of the legitimately-elected majority and make sure it prevails.
Yes, but won't a Shia victory in Iraq automatically help Shia-led Iran? The short answer is no. There is a big difference between the democratic, pro-American Shia government in Iraq and the autocratic, anti-American Shia regime in Iran. Maliki and al-Sistani are a very different brand of Shia than Ahmadinejad and Khamenei. If the Iraqi Shia were so friendly with their fellow Shia in Iran, why did they fight on Saddam's side against them for eight years? The Iran-Iraq war of the 1980s shows that tribe and nationality sometimes count more than denominational solidarity.
Bush wants us to hang tough against the bad guys, and he is right. But it's just as important to fight smart. Let's stop talking nonsense about Sunni-Shia distinctions that are not relevant to our situation, and focus instead on the Islamic radicals and terrorists abundantly found in both camps.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 3)
1. THERE IS SO MUCH PRO AND CON DEFENSE ABOUT ONE AND ANOTHER FACTION WITHIN ISLAM, BUT THE BOTTOM LINE OF IT ALL IS BEATING AGAINST THE WIND.
THE PSEUDO RELIGION OF ISLAM HAS TO BE TAKEN IN ITS
ENTIRE CONTEXT DURING ALL OF HISTORY, AND THAT IS A
DESPOTIC THUG ORIENTED GANG; USING A BOOK( KORAN ) TO JUSTIFY THE TRUELY DEFINED INTENTION OF WORLD
DOMINATION, OR ELSE BE MURDERED, AND YOUR FAMILY
AND ALL OF ITS BELONGING SHARED AS "BOOTY" AMONG
THE GANG MEMBERS.
WITHIN A SYSTEM SUCH AS THAT; NONE CAN BE VIEWED AS
TRUELY INNOCENT. ALL ARE STAINED AS SUPPORTERS OF
A GRIEVIOUSLY MURDEROUS GANG, AND SHOULD NOT BE
CONSIDERED AS ANY FORM OF A CIVILIZED SOCIETY.
THE NAZIS, AND THE COMMUNISTS WERE ORIENTED IN THE
SAME FASHION, AND WE HAD TO FIGHT ALL OF THEM TO RETAIN OUR PRECIOUS FREEDOM.
IF WE ARE FOOLISH ENOUGH TO ALLOW THE NATION OF ISLAM TO EXIST, AND FLOURISH WITHIN OUR BORDERS;
THEN WE ALL WILL IN DUE TIME BE EXPOSED TO THE BLOOD BATH THAT HAS BEEN THEIR MODUS OPERENDI
DURING EVERY LAND GRAB AN INSLAVEMENT SINCE THE
ERA 700 A.D. TO THIS VERY PRESENT TIME.
THERE IS NO PLACE WITH THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
FOR SUCH A DESPOTIC SYSTEM OF MURDERERS; THAT KILL
AND BEHEAD THEIR OWN PEOPLE AS WELL AS ENEMIES.
THEY ARE HERE AMONG US MUCH LIKE THE TROGAN HORSE
OF TROY IN GREEK HELENISM, AND THERE IS A TIME WHEN
THEY WILL SPRING THE TRAP; IF NOT RECOGNIZED AS THE
TRUE INVADERS OF A SYSTEM SO CONTRARY TO OUR OWN.
THERE IS, AND NEVER HAS BEEN; THE IDEA OF COMPROMISE
WITHIN THE REALMS OF ISLAM. IT IS EITHER TO CONQUOR
AND KILL, OR TO REARRANGE STRATEGY TO AGAIN ATTACK.
IN 1492 ISABELLA AND FERDENAND OF SPAIN DROVE THEM
OUT OF SPAIN, BUT THROUGH IGNORANT TOLERANCE OF THE
DESPOTIC HEARD; ALLOWED THEM BACK INTO SPAIN TO START ALL OVER AGAIN TO PILLAGE AND DESTROY.
THERE IS NO PEACEFUL CO-EXISTANCE WITH ISLAM; WITH ANY NATIONS BORDERS. THERE IS ALWAYS THE DRIVING
FORCE AND OVERPOWERING IDEA; TO CONQUOR AND TO DOMINATE; WHEN THE BALANCE OF POWER WILL ALLOW IT.
ANY ONE THAT WILL ENTERTAIN THE IDEA THAT THE KORAN AND ITS FOLLOWERS ARE A PEACEFUL ENTITY; ARE DUPES; TOO BLINDED BY THR FACTS OF HISTORY; TO SEE THE REALITY OF THEIR DECLARED MISSION;
OF WORLD CONQUEST.
CECIL DEBOARD
cecildeboard at 4:40PM on Feb 16th 2008
2. Muslims all over the middle east are unrest , reason being muslim lands being invaded by christian americans. The biggest terrorist in the world are christians . Hitler was a chrisitan killed 6 million jews , mussolini was christian killed thousand ,stalin was a christian killed thousands , lenin ws a christan born killed thousands. America a christian nation droped bomb in japan killed millions in japan. Vietnam thousands died killed by american christian. During the time of independence movment in India British christians killed millions of indians,divided india and pakistan again millions died. British chriostain invaded palestine divided the nation gave away their land to some jews till today thousands died. Total the number of killing against bin laden or some body christans are the highest. Christians are thrsty war mongers create trouble every where divide the land kill people , creates people like bin laden , saddam and kill them back....
shahan at 9:42AM on Jul 3rd 2008
3. thanks for confirming my id
shahan at 4:23AM on Jun 29th 2008
4. .....Yeah.....
I rest my case.
ex-christian at 2:23PM on Aug 1st 2008
5.
One question Ahmad -
If it's such a crime to show the image of Mohammed, aren't you worshipping the prophet as much as the god? Is it the word of god you follow, or the word of prophets?
You're just as fake as the christians.
ex-christian at 2:29PM on Aug 1st 2008
6.
I should add, Ahmad, you aren't any more fake than the guy who wrote this blog - He's admitted his glee at the casualties on both sides of the Iran-Iraq war - Now, he's here spitting out some drivel why their so great...
He's using you the same way he uses christians.
ex-christian at 2:34PM on Aug 1st 2008
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jqqbmkicsz at 10:54AM on Jan 24th 2009
8. Shia/Sunni, Sunni/Shia - they're all bad guys. Following is the reality of Islam.
ISLAM IS A RELIGION OF WAR: THE KORAN IS A BOOK OF WAR: ALLAH IS A GOD OF WAR
By
Larry Houle
www.godofreason.com
intermedusa@yahoo.com
Islam is a declaration of war against infidels. Islam is an IDEOLOGY of WAR. The Koran is a BOOK OF WAR. Allah is a GOD OF WAR. This war is permanent until all the infidels have converted, paid a submission tax or have been murdered. This is the LAW OF GOD AS SET DOWN IN THE KORAN
Infidels can be murdered by Muslims as a LAW OF GOD. Not only can they all be murdered but the wives and daughters of the murdered infidels can be taken as booty, raped, and then sold as slaves. Their sons can be sold into slavery. If there is any doubt as to the boy’s age of puberty - Muslims can pull down their pants and inspect their genital area for hairs. Even the slightest sign of hair growth means that these young men can be taken and beheaded. As a LAW OF GOD, Muslims can then loot and pillage the property of the murdered infidels, and must share the booty obtained from the sale of boys and women and the proceeds of looting with ALLAH. Muslims can own slaves as a LAW OF GOD. Slavery has been an integral institutionalized part of Islam since it’s creation by Muhammad. ALL THIS EVIL ARE THE LAWS OF GOD AS SET DOWN IN THE KORAN. Not only that but righteous Muslims can ascend as martyrs to the evil sexually depraved Islamic Paradise of eternal hard - ons and virgins who re - generate as virgins after each sex act. THIS IS THEIR ETERNAL REWARD FOR OBEYING THESE EVIL LAWS OF GOD.
personalrep1 at 2:58AM on Sep 26th 2007
9. "We keep hearing that democracy won't work in Iraq and that Muslim countries cannot join the modern world because the problem of sectarian division runs too deep. Often it is simply presumed that the Sunni-Shia difference is so profound and contentious that there is simply no hope for a country like Iraq to hang together, and Americans may as well pack up the tent and move out."
Dinesh, that happens to be the truth. When it is the Iraqi people themselves saying that, on both sides of sectarian lines..... you can pretty much believe it!
It's time to realize that the only thing we are doing is keeping what is going to happen from happening for a short while, namely a civil war in Iraq. Actually, check that, it's already started, we are just keeping it from exploding where we have soldiers stationed, and not very well at that.
To the first poster, most of those things are also true or were true of the Christian religion. That is why I say get rid of ALL religions, and go to a world where we finally say the truth, which is that this world was created by a process that we do not yet understand (but not by any 'god') and that it is a scientific process that we will understand someday.
Christopher at 4:21AM on Sep 26th 2007
10. I DO believed that Indian were smarter little more than the average of the world 'til now. Please Dinesh boy: Are you a nature bored dumb? or just on drug?
There's no way on earth for anyone to keep a Christian army on a Islam land!
"Shia or Sunni: Who are the Bad Guys?" Doesn't matter; they all want to kill American.
jax at 4:26AM on Sep 26th 2007
11. Sir: I agree for the most part with your analysis. But the question in your headline is "who are the bad guys?" I would say that if you asked either Sunni or Shiite, they would say the Americans. Hard to believe? I think then, it would be time for some introspection on our part. In the Quran, the bad guys are the agressors of any conflict. I think that would clearly be the Bush Administration in Iraq. Our country has a tendency of starting problems and letting other figure out the solutions (which, as you know, the UN and every other country refuses to do with Iraq). Or sometimes, we feel that pouring in more money and Eco. Development is the solution. It never is. Radicalism will exist as long as there are authoritarian governments who enforce political exclusion and widespread human rights abuses. As long as we support authoritarian regimes, WE are the bad guy. Why does the U.S. despise Iran, and at the same time support Uzbekistan's brutal regime? Why do we say Iran supports war, when we started one in Iraq under fuzzy pretenses and support Israel's incursions into their neighboring states, such as Sept. 6th into Syria? Why do we support freedom of speech until Muslims are elected to power and then we withdraw our support? These are the kinds of questions radicals have, and that we have absolutely no answer for. Ask them: Why is it that everyone says our foreign policy is the problem, but we take no steps to reform it?
Wissam Nasr at 4:31AM on Sep 26th 2007
12. What's this guy doing blogging on AOL??? He is actually speaking truth and making sense, not screeching liberal garbage like you usually find on AOL. He must have been able to sneak by the moveon.org editors of AOL "news."
Watch out, AOL readers. This guy might infect you with some truth, and then you will have some pesky facts interfering with your "opinions."
srpatterso at 6:49AM on Sep 26th 2007
13. So D'ouche, you're saying it doesn't matter who the "bad" guys are as long as we have a pro american puppet government in Baghdad? At least your second to last paragraph has a kernal of truth in it.
Dennis at 6:57AM on Sep 26th 2007
14. Well Srpatterso (#5 above), if AOL is some 'left wing" move on like entity, I'd suggest your opinions are severely skewed to the right. An overdose of Limbaugh perhaps? Bill O'Liely hangover maybe?
Dennis at 7:00AM on Sep 26th 2007
15.
Democracy may not work in many places other than the west, mainly because we repeatedly try to place a square peg in a round hole using the same method everytime.
A more positive change may be to consider that our vision of democracy from a western perspective must be absorbed, digested and allowed to flower from the perspective of those we select to receive the meal of democracy we provide.
We are now learning AGAIN the critical importance of understanding and paying respect to the cultural core and nuances of a multicultural society.
That may have been a subtle but most critical element of the miscalculation to get so deeply involved in Iraq. Gen Patraeus got it right.. the solution is only partially military. And sure we can handle that... but This is one of those problems where even if you get part a thru y correct and you cant get part z then..you don't have the solution.
What does that make the Shia and the Sunni if WE CAN"t get it right. Are they the bad guys because they choose to stick with what they know? My answer is no.
If others choose to IMPOSE the solution, then they better have it right... or they run the risk of turning out to be the BAD GUYS despite good intentions.
Peace
dmode16340 at 7:21AM on Sep 26th 2007