US Must Assume Responsibility for the Current Iraq

Over the past many months, I have written a number of articles about the on going war in the Middle East between the Sunni and the Shi’ites. This is a war that started in 632 A.D. after the death of the Prophet Mohammed. The original conflict began due to a disagreement between the tribes as to who should succeed the Prophet. The Shi’ites believed that the new leader should be a descendent of the Prophet, while the Sunnis believed that the tribes should select the new leader of Islam. This basic issue has now fueled this on-going conflict for almost 1400 years. Based on the events in Iraq over the past 4 years, I believe that it is time for the current US administration to acknowledge its responsibility for the latest inflammation of this long established conflict between these two Muslim tribes.

Even though this conflict has been going on for hundreds years, prior to the US invasion of Iraq, the differences between the 2 sects within Iraq did not always have them killing each other. It also did not keep both tribes from living fairly close together in many of the Iraqi neighborhoods. As is human nature in the area of religion or culture, as long as one group does not actually attack the other group outright, “to each is own” is many times the attitude of those different groups living in close proximity.

In a recent article in “Time Magazine”, this was demonstrated during what became a deadly stampede of Shi’ite worshipers in 2005 during an annual religious Pilgrimage. Some unknown action had caused a large group of Shi’ites to stampede while crossing over a Tigris river bridge. Hundreds of the panicked pilgrims ended up going into the river. The Sunni neighborhood on the other bank of the river witnessed the event in horror and many Sunni men dived into the river to help save the Shia’s. One 25 year old Sunni, identified as Othman al-Obeidi, rescued six Shia’s before he himself became exhausted and drowned. It was eventually confirmed that 100 pilgrims died that day. However, the leaders of the Shi’ites praised the “martyrdom” of the brave Sunni “al-Obeidi” and his friends. This was one small sign of proof showing that the Sunnis bore no ill-will toward their Shi’ite neighbors across the river.

Since that devastating event in 2005, the number of the insurgent group; Iraqi al Qaeda has increased in Iraq and the outside influence of the Iranian Shi’ites and Saudi Arabian Sunnis has expanded within the country. The intensity of the internal religious Civil War between the sects has also continued to increase and all of any positive feeling between the two sects in Iraq has disappeared. As a case in point, the attitude in the neighborhood of the martyred Othman al-Obeidi has turned 180 degrees. One of the Sunni men that dove into the Tigris to save the Shi’ites now says “al-Obeidi wasted his life for those animals”. Another local Sunni refuses to talk about how many lives he saved, saying it “fills him with shame”. One Sunni carpenter from the neighborhood said recently; “If I see a Shi’ite child about to drown in the Tigris now, I will not reach my hand out to save him.”

Today, on the other bank of the river, the Shi’ites in this area now say there was no such person as “al-Obeidi”. One local Shi’ite said; “That person never existed at all. He was invented by the Sunni’s just to make them look good.”

Whether the Shi’ites believe "al-Obeidi" existed or not, all of the good will from the original event has now disappeared.

The reason for this change in attitude is very basic as explained by an Iraqi law tutor from Baghdad’s Mustansirya University. “The US occupation has ushered in all this sectarian killing and we are now living under a kind of religious dictatorship. There is bribery, corruption and terrorism from all angles and we still lack even the basic fundamentals such as clean drinking water.” A local grocery store owner, Naji Alejadri also rejected the notion that the recent boost in US troop strength had increased security. “Baghdad is as dangerous as it was before and the occupation is to blame. We will not see any improvement until the Americans leave. Regardless of their intentions, the American troops are making things worse, not better.”

The Shi’ite family of Emad Naqib recently moved into an abandoned home in this same area near the university. While watching TV one evening, someone threw a bomb over their wall into their front yard, blowing out the home’s windows. The family was not harmed, but they were all badly shaken. It was suggested by a friend that they were crazy to stay there and that they should move out of the neighborhood as soon as possible. However, the father of four insisted he could not leave. “I’ve put my children into this area and I’m not going to leave. It’s as safe as any area around here, and I just don’t care anymore. I’m scared of the Shi’ites; I’m scared of the Sunnis; I’m scared of everything. I’m tired of this. I’m tired of living. If I die here, I just die.”

Yes, the US did remove a horrible Sunni dictator in Iraq. But attempting an installation of a democracy in a region of conflict with a 1500 year old theocracy has failed. It’s time for the US troops to slowly depart and to let the Iraqi’s decide for themselves how they want to run their country. As in the past, as it was in America, this issue will only be decided by a direct confrontation between the two warring parties. The US did cause the timing of this event, but now it is time for the US troops to redeploy and get out from between these two, long-time battling Muslim sects.