In an article published on April 1, 2003, I wrote that “there is no reason to think that any secular democracy established in an Islamic country will escape pressure from Muslims who want to restore Shariah. None has so far.” That pressure, of course, could just as easily come from within democratic structures as from outside them.
From AP, with thanks to the Constantinopolitan Irredentist:
BAGHDAD, Iraq “” Hundreds of Shiites spilled into Baghdad streets on Sunday to support their governing coalition, which took a large lead in the Dec. 15 elections and has been the target of opposition vote-rigging accusations.
Sunni Arab groups staged smaller demonstrations in the western Anbar Province city of Fallujah and in eastern Baqouba to support demands for a rerun of the parliamentary elections, which they claim were tainted by fraud.
At least 16 people were killed in violence around Iraq on Sunday….
In the sprawling Shiite slum of Sadr City, about 1,000 demonstrators held a rally to support preliminary results showing the governing United Iraqi Alliance, a religious Shiite coalition, leading in the elections….
The Alliance has called on Iraqis to accept the results and has been moving ahead with efforts to form a “national unity” government….
The Alliance, headed by the cleric Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, said preliminary results showing it with a clear lead in the elections were not the result of fraud or intimidation. It charged that many violations took place in Sunni Arab areas, and claimed that many of its opponents conspired with insurgents to alter results.
“There will be no going back and no new elections,” Jawad al-Maliki, a senior Alliance official, said at a news conference. “The results must be accepted and the will of the people must be respected.”…