The U.S. did all it could to paper over Sunni-Shi’ite hostility in Iraq, but now it is stronger than ever, exacerbated by the conflict in Syria, which has morphed from being an anti-Assad operation into a Sunni-Shi’ite jihad. American analysts, true to form, underestimated how difficult it would be to heal a 1,400-year-old antagonism.
“Iraq PM calls for “jihad” against Anbar jihadists,” by Hamza Mustafa, Asharq al-Awsat, May 29, 2014:
Baghdad, Asharq Al-Awsat—Iraqi Prime Minster Nuri Al-Maliki called for “jihad” against the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in Iraq’s restive western Anbar province on Wednesday, pledging to crush the Islamist insurgency before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan that is set to be begin in late June.
In his weekly speech from Baghdad, Maliki also called for a “national dialogue” on Anbar, stressing that the Iraqi people must “stand with the security forces,” and that residents of Anbar must work with “their brothers from the tribes of Anbar and the local and central governments to accelerate the cleansing of Anbar” of ISIS militants.
“Everybody must unite and return to the ranks of jihad to fight against ISIS and its offshoots, as well as the conspirators who are manipulating the fate of the people of Anbar,” he said.
ISIS forces took control of Iraq’s largest province in December 2013, seizing the towns of Ramadi and Fallujah amid mass popular discontent in the Sunni-majority province towards the central government over perceived bias on the part of Baghdad.
Anbar’s tribal hierarchy has split over ISIS’s presence, with some tribesman fighting alongside its members and others joining government forces seeking to retake the province. Many inhabitants have fled following the government’s continued inability to drive out the Islamists militants, and amid fears that ISIS will seek to unite territory under its control in eastern Syria and western Iraq to form an Islamic emirate.
“It will not take long to quickly eradicate and eliminate [ISIS fighters] and achieve the great purpose of easing the suffering and [facilitating] the return of the displaced families,” Maliki said on Wednesday.
The Iraqi prime minister is currently seeking to form a new government after failing to secure a majority in recent parliamentary elections, with many opponents criticizing his security record….
John C. Barile says
True to Islamic form. Maliki is pulling out all of the stops, and given the murderous nature of ISIS, I hope he succeeds.
mariam rove says
Hi John! I am not sure what you mean by this post. Maliki is just as murderous as ISIS is. Remmber to sect of Islam recognizes the other as legit. And they have been killing each other since the day their pedophile prophet died. As an Iranian I can tell you this, that Iraq is a unique situation in that the Safavid Dynasty of Iran a few hundred years ago conquered Baghdad and forced the shia version of Islam down their throats and the killings have been going on ever since …. In Saudi Arabia the area where their oil is most people there are Shias and they are the poorest of all Saudis as well as the most persecuted. In Iran where the oil is, the Khuzestan province most of them are Sunnis and they are persecuted by the Shai governmet in Iran and as you know the Ahmadis and every other version of Islam is in one way or another being persecuted by someone. This has been going on for 14 centuries. That siad one thing all muslims have in common is killing the jews and infidels…..m
John C. Barile says
Sorry to be so, so ambiguous,Miriam; but I just can’t help thinking that it takes a dog to eat a dog–assuming that those folks don’t object to dog fighting–it’s their culture, doncha know–and it’s such a shame if ISIS carcasses should go to waste without feeding hungry dogs, birds, and rats.
John C. Barile says
Sorry, Mariam.
mariam rove says
OMG! Don’t be sorry. Unlike jihadists ans Islamist the minute they have a dis agreement they start shooting, suicide bombing, assassination, we are having a peaceful and intelligent conversation exposing Islam. I just wanted to share some historical facts with you. M
John C. Barile says
I misspelled your name. But I love the conversation and information that I find here. It sorta’ makes me proud to be a najis kaffir.
BlueRaven says
“Iraq’s Shi’ite Prime Minister calls for jihad against Sunni jihadists” –
Love it :). Should hand over a couple of Nukes to each side. It will create the mess Islam been craving for over thousand years..
duh_swami says
‘You kill my father, I kill your brother’
You kill my brother and I kill your sister.
‘You kill my sister and I kill your mother’.
You kill my mother I and I kill your cousin.
And then there were none.
Observer says
Best of luck to both sides.
el cid says
The tragedy of the situation is that given their divergent interpretations of Sharia Law, neither side can tolerate the other so they are LEGALLY obligated to fight it out.
The only solution is to dismantle the system either through military dictatorship or some form of secular democracy where Sharia is not the basis. We tried under Bush to achieve that–didn’t we? Naive perhaps.
But, there is also a popular rejection of “western” values that would never tolerate a secular democracy either US or UK style. And, the level of education and the average age among Persians and Arabs are both very low: Ignorance and hormones at work. These societies are going to have trouble and to be trouble for a very long time.
Peter Buckley says
Feel the love here (reasons for the hatred):
http://www.discoveringislam.org/shia_view_of_sunnis.htm
xyz says
Brilliant kill each other.. I like