On the third anniversary of the war three scary scenarios are emerging in Iraq. The scenario that the Americans had in mind from day one when they entered Iraq is finally coming true in the form of a civil war.
Daily killings between Sunni and Shiite sects has diverted attention away from the occupiers. It is becoming routine to hear of daily death tolls that range between 20 and 80. In a number of cases it was execution after severe torture, signaling an unquenchable desire for revenge and retaliation.
Recent reports of the horrific killings of innocent children, women and old men indicate an escalating anarchy. What is even more gruesome is the dragging of dead bodies through the streets.
The situation looks very dangerous, especially since there are indications that the death squads that carry out these barbaric acts report to the Iraqi Interior Ministry. The main objective appears to be to drive away the Sunnis from Baghdad and make it the regional Shiite capital as Syed Abdul Aziz Al-Hakim (chairman of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution) was calling for. This is not secret anymore and some Shiite Iraqis are publicly stating that the two sects cannot coexist in one city. A Shiite writer, Kasem Al-Awadi, is smugly admiring the Shiite role in killing the Sunni civilians. He considered killing most of the Sunnis an achievement stating that by eliminating Sunnis his sect could take control of Baghdad in less than four hours.
Despite the fact that retaliation is taking place from both sides they are not on equal terms. On the one hand the Sunni groups indulging in violence are being condemned by Sunni scholars in strong terms. On the other hand there are the Shiite fanatic groups that are overseeing the Iraqi intelligence department and use it for assassination, especially at night when they enforce a curfew.
According to Britain’s Guardian newspaper, the Shiite death squad, belonging to the Interior Ministry, killed more than seven thousand people in the past few months, including women and children. The victims’ bodies were disfigured and there were signs of torture while their hands were tied in the back. Most of the bodies found had also suffered from broken skulls.
The number of civilian Iraqis killed in the last three years has been steadily rising. The figures quoted from Reuters show that during the invasion the number of killed were 7,312 (from March 20 to April 4 of 2003). In the first year from May 2003 to March 2004, the number reached 6,331.
In the second year the death toll was 11,331 — from March 20, 2004 to March 19, 2005. In the third year 12,617 civilians were killed (from March 20, 2005 to March 2006). And the numbers keep rising. Iraq is on the verge of a civil war contrary to what American authorities claim. They want us to believe that peace is being restored.
The second scene is Al-Hakim’s call for an American-Iranian dialogue on Iraq. This makes it clear who the real players in Iraq are. It is no secret that there is a crisis in the Iraqi government as the Sunnis and Kurds want Ibrahim Al-Jaafari out from the government after he turned security departments into tools for assassination. The Iranians want Al-Jaafari and the Americans and British want to exclude him because he is not pushing their plans in Iraq.
The third scenario is that the Arab world is no longer a part of the game. Despite efforts by the Arab League to convene a summit to highlight the tragedy unfolding in Iraq, there were few takers. This is true of the situation in Palestine as well. The Arab world is eerily silent on the ongoing massacres acting as if the happenings in Iraq are not part of Muslim concern.
The Muslim world reacted strongly against the Danish cartoons and worldwide demonstrations were held to denounce blasphemy. That was very noble and positive, but shouldn’t we do the same toward the innocent blood being shed daily in Iraq?
Shouldn’t we draw together all Muslim rulers and scholars to support Iraq and protect Iraq from civil war? Is Muslim blood cheap?
This deafening silence reminded me of what Sheikh Al-Ghazali once said: “Blood would be spilled in our Arab and Islamic world if a girl’s dignity were disgraced.” But if the dignity of the Islamic world was disgraced no one would react. Why are our Sunni and Shiite brothers in Iraq also silent on what is happening in their country?
