War in Iraq: In the shadow of Lebanon, Iraq’s sectarian violence rages

Last updated on: July 25, 2006 at 7:23 pm by zahedamanullah

War in Iraq: In the shadow of Lebanon, Iraq’s sectarian violence rages 2006-07-25T19:23:00-04:00 zahedamanullah

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Don’t ask me about Lebanon

It has been fading from the front pages due to news fatigue, and has finally been pushed off by the continuing Israel/Hezbollah conflict, but the bloodshed in Iraq continues to grow in the absence of a media spotlight. Though it looks and smells like civil war, most outside observers are still calling it sectarian violence for now. Nevertheless, here is where the real conflict in the Middle East lies – with Iraq’s Sunnis and Shias going at it like there’s no tomorrow. (And at this rate – who knows?) Iraq’s Prime Minister, on a visit to the US Tuesday, confirmed that 100 civilians are dying every day, though he has yet to label the killings a civil war. As in the past, the active participation of 55,000 US troops in Baghdad alone hasn’t helped calm things down. (In other parts of the country, US forces are fighting fierce battles against Moqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army.) The killings of civilians follow a familiar pattern – 50 Shias were killed near an Iraqi shrine, unashamedly random attacks (some targeting men on the streets looking for work) claimed 60 lives on July 23rd with 7 more gunned down the day before. On July 19th, 20 Sunnis were seized, a day which the Washington Post called a quiet day “with no single reported attack in Iraq claiming more than 13 lives”. July 18th claimed 53 lives, and the 17th claimed 48, and so on. The surge in violence is notable, given that the killing of Zarqawi was expected to break the back of the insurgency. Before a post-Zarqawi security crackdown, which began June 14, there were an average of 23.8 attacks daily. Since then, the average has increased to 25.2, and this upsurge may not be due to the new US-identified Iraqi Al Qaeda chief, who may be in an Egyptian jail. While Shias have been driven to defend themselves against an onslaught of al-Qaida-directed violence against them (the Sunni organization considers Shias “infidels” to be tolerated at best), Sunnis are driven by a fear of a “Shia Crescent” controlling a wide swath of the Middle East (and beyond). Despite the calls by both Ayatollah Sistani and al-Sadr for an end to the violence, Sunnis (with guns) opposed to the rebuilding of an historic Shia shrine have been targeted in return by the Mahdi army. Complicating matters for US forces in Iraq is the fact that, all sides have been unified by their opposition to Israeli actions in Lebanon – and all see the US as endorsing the violence in Lebanon. “I will continue defending my Shi’ite and Sunni brothers,” said al-Sadr. “And I tell them that if we unite, we will defeat Israel without the use of weapons.” In the meantime, Iraq risks being defeated from within – with lots of them.

Zahed Amanullah is associate editor of altmuslim.com. He is based in London, England.

Briefings

Previous Post

July 25, 2006

Novel "The Terrorist": John Updike: Quranic exegete?

Next Post

July 28, 2006 Lebanon Crisis: Is the US part of the problem?

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category 2012 Elections 30 Dayd 30 Writers (2017) 30 Days 30 Writers 30 Days 30 Writers (2015) 30 Days 30 Writers (2016) 30 Days 30 Writers (2018) 30 Days 30 Writers 2017 Ali Asadullah Ali Eteraz Alper Bilgili Arthur Richards Asides Asma Uddin Black History Month Briefings Charles Turner Commentary Cyrus McGoldrick Eman H Aly Fatimah Popal Hajj Hajj and Dhul Hijjah Hesham Hassaballa Hisham Hellyer Ibrahim Abusharif Inas Younis Irfan Yusuf Jalal Baig Junaid Afeef Laila Alawa Laila Alwala Mas'ood Cajee Muqtedar Khan Nakia Jackson Newsmakers Parvez Ahmed Podcasts Rabia Chaudry Rafia Zakaria Ramadan Reviews Safiyyah Ally Saud Inam Shahed Amanullah Svend White The Opinionated Oncologist Visions Wajahat Ali Zahed Amanullah Zahir Janmohamed Zainab Khan

Select a Month November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 March 2005 February 2005 January 2005 December 2004 November 2004 October 2004 September 2004 August 2004 July 2004 June 2004 May 2004 April 2004 March 2004 February 2004 January 2004 December 2003 November 2003 October 2003 September 2003 August 2003 July 2003 June 2003 May 2003 April 2003 March 2003 February 2003 January 2003 December 2002 November 2002 October 2002 September 2002 August 2002 July 2002 June 2002 May 2002 April 2002 March 2002

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What was a biblical measurement of a span?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Half a cubit Full cubit Quarter cubit Third of a cubit