While Iraqis are still seeking agreement on their constitution, many Sunni Muslims are becoming increasingly uneasy that the original intent that the interests of all communities be fairly represented is being pushed aside. The demonstrations in Baquba last week displayed the increasing level of concern. The protests ought to have been designed to impress upon the constitutional negotiators in Baghdad the depth of Sunni anger and dissatisfaction. Unfortunately, they, as held, probably did more harm than good.
The reason was simple. Prominent throughout the protest were posters of Saddam Hussein and chants in his support. There is no doubting the support that many Sunni Iraqis still feel for Saddam, but by focusing their protests on the man who once gave their community a privileged position in the country, they send precisely the wrong message to other Iraqis who, thanks to the continuing bitter insurgency, still fear a revival of Baathist rule.
Saddam can play no role in the future of an Iraq in which all communities are fairly represented. Yet by singing his praises in angry street demonstrations, Sunnis have unwisely undermined the position of their representatives who are engaged in hard and difficult negotiations concerning the constitution. Indeed, it is hard to think of a display that could have been better designed to fan the flames of anti-Sunni prejudices. Saddam’s rule was ruthless and murderous. No one was safe from the whims of him and his cohorts, not even the Sunnis themselves. The end of his rule may have also swept away the privileges enjoyed by many Sunnis, not least those from around Saddam’s home town of Tikrit, but it opened up new opportunities in a free, pluralist Iraq.
Despite the Sunni-based insurgency and despite the depravities of Al-Qaeda’s terrorists, there has been a genuine attempt by other Iraqis, some against their better judgment, to produce an inclusive constitution. Whatever the inadequacies of the present document, they will not be fixed by lauding Saddam and his brutal regime. Sunni leaders have unfortunately failed to distance themselves from the pro-Saddam protests and have therefore made it look as if they endorse the views expressed.
At its worst, this folly could be laying the seeds for civil conflict which will only be averted if a constitution can be agreed that puts an end to communal divisions while creating a society that is fair to all. Wise heads in the Sunni leadership need to point out to those who, through despair, suspicion or sheer stupidity, cling to the remnants of a deeply discredited past that this is not the way forward. Sunnis must be prepared to stand up and take their places as equals in the new Iraq and forget their past advantages which were paid for by so much innocent blood.
Maybe the most telling observation that could be made to the demonstrators in Baquba is how they imagine their protests would have been handled by Saddam’s policemen. The very fact that they were able to take to the streets and voice their views, however shortsighted, is a sign of how Iraq has improved.
