Yet to examine the bloody ideology that inspires this never-ending series of murders would be “Islamophobic.”
“4 car bombs at outdoor markets in Iraq kill at least 36, wound 100,” from the Associated Press, February 8 (thanks to Kenneth):
BAGHDAD — Car bombs struck two outdoor markets and a group of taxi vans in Shiite areas across Iraq on Friday, killing at least 36 people and wounding nearly 100 in the bloodiest day in more than two months, as minority Sunnis staged large anti-government protests.
Sunni protesters have rejected calls to violence by an Al Qaeda-linked group, but there is concern that Sunni insurgents could step up attacks ahead of the April 20 provincial elections — the first country-wide vote since the U.S. troop withdrawal more than a year ago.
On Friday, tens of thousands of Sunni protesters rallied in five major cities against Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a Shiite accused of monopolizing power. Sunnis also complain of official discrimination.
In the city of Samarra, rally speaker Sheik Mohammed Jumaa sent a warning to the prime minister. “Stop tyranny and oppression,” he said. “We want our rights. You will witness what other tyrants have witnessed before you.”
In the cities of Fallujah and Ramadi in restive Anbar province, demonstrators blocked the main highway to Jordan and performed Friday noon prayers, the highlight of the religious week. Anbar is a former Al Qaeda stronghold that saw fierce fighting against U.S. forces.
Other rallies were held in the cities of Mosul and Tikrit, as part of weekly Sunni demonstrations that were sparked by the December arrests of bodyguards of a senior Sunni politician.
Earlier Friday, suspected Sunni insurgents detonated five car bombs, killing at least 36 people and wounding 97, health and police officials said. It was the bloodiest day of attacks since Nov. 29, when 43 people, many of them Shiite pilgrims, were killed in a wave of attacks….
Hadi Jalo, an analyst at the Baghdad-based Political Decision Center for Strategic Studies, said he believes Al Qaeda-linked militants in Iraq are trying to exploit the growing Sunni discontent.
“I believe that with this fertile atmosphere there will be more attacks ahead of the provincial elections,” he said.
No kidding, really?