|
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Iraq: On The Brink Of Civil War? By Kathleen Ridolfo
 |
| Imam Ali al-Hadi Mosque after the bombing |
| (epa) |
Sectarian tensions in
Iraq took a turn for the worse on 22 February when armed men detonated
explosives inside the Golden Mosque in Samarra, home to a revered Shi'ite
shrine, blowing the roof off the building. Iraqi leaders have scrambled to
contain the ensuing retaliatory attacks by Shi'a, amid rising fears that
the country could be on the brink of civil war. At least six Sunnis have
been killed already in retaliatory attacks, and nearly 30 Sunni mosques
attacked.
Two of the 12 Shi'ite imams -- Imam
Ali al-Hadi, who died in 868 A.D., and his son, Imam Hasan al-Askari, who
died in 874 A.D. -- are buried at the mosque. The complex also contains
the shrine of the 12th imam, al-Mahdi, who is said to have gone into
hiding through a cellar in the complex in 878, and is expected to return
on Judgment Day.
Both the Ansar Al-Sunnah Army and the Mujahedin
Shura Council -- an alliance of terrorist groups that includes Abu
Mus'ab al-Zarqawi's Al-Qaeda-affiliated group -- are suspected in the
attack. Both groups have insurgents operating in Samarra, and have claimed
responsibility for attacks against U.S. and Iraqi forces there in recent
weeks. Just like the assassination of revered Shi'ite Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Hakim in Al-Najaf in
2003, no group has claimed responsibility for the Samarra attack.
The Shi'ite Response
Shi'ite Grand Ayatollah Ali
al-Sistani immediately called for seven days of mourning following the
attack, and urged Shi'a to take to the streets in peaceful demonstrations
protesting the attack. The cleric, who rarely appears in public, could be
seen on Iraqi state television in a meeting with other leading
ayatollahs.
The mass demonstrations -- tens of thousands took to
the streets of Baghdad, Al-Najaf, Kut, Al-Kufah, and Samarra -- were
accompanied by violence. Reprisal attacks against Sunnis were reported
across the country.
 Demonstration in Baghdad on 22
FebruaryMore violence can be expected. Shi'ite cleric Muqtada
al-Sadr, who was in Lebanon as part of a regional tour, headed back to
Iraq to join his supporters, who were already out in full force. Media
reports have suggested that demonstrators in several cities cited the
ongoing occupation as the cause of the attack.
Speaking to
Al-Jazeera on 22 February, al-Sadr blamed all parties to the ongoing Iraq
conflict for the attack. "It was not the Sunnis who attacked the shrine of
Imam Al-Hadi...but rather the occupation; the takfiris [those who accuse
other Muslims of being infidels], Al-Nawasib [a derogatory reference to
Sunnis referring to those who declare hostilities against others]...and
the Ba'athists," he said. "We should not attack Sunni mosques. I ordered
the [Imam] Al-Mahdi Army to protect the Shi'ite and Sunni shrines and to
show a high sense of responsibility, something they actually
did."
When the dust settles, more questions will come to light. For
example, according to media reports, the attackers were dressed in
Interior Ministry commando uniforms when they entered the mosque. Sunni
Arab leaders have been blaming Interior Ministry forces for dozens of
kidnappings and killings of Sunnis in recent months, claiming the
ministry's Shi'ite forces use the cover of their uniforms to "arrest"
Sunni Arabs who later end up dead on roadsides.
Sporadic media
reports last year suggested that Sunni insurgents tied either to the
Hussein regime or Al-Qaeda were disguising themselves as security forces
to carry out attacks on Sunni Arabs in an attempt to instigate a sectarian
war. The reports from Samarra suggest that such tactics may have been
employed in this case.
Government Urges Calm
As Shi'a
took to the streets in mass protests across Iraq, government officials
were quick to condemn the attack, calling a three-day period of mourning.
Blaming Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants, officials called for calm, urging
Iraqis to remember that the mosque was part of the unified national
heritage, and was targeted by insurgents hoping to spark a civil
war.
Remarks by President Jalal Talabani indicate the level of
concern by government officials. Talabani told reporters at a 22 February
press briefing in Baghdad that Iraqis should "strive to avoid any more
tension and friction." Saying, "I am here for all Iraqis," Talabani said
his door is open to all groups, including insurgents, for dialogue.
Speaking about deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's family, Talabani
said he offered shelter to Hussein's family when no one else would. "We
are generous even with those who are against us."
Meanwhile, U.S.
Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad issued a statement saying the United
States would contribute to the rebuilding of the mosque, calling the
attack a crime against humanity.
Sunni Arab leaders also condemned
the attack. Adnan al-Dulaymi, head of the Iraqi Accordance Front, told
Al-Arabiyah television that the denunciation by groups such as the Sunni
Waqf (Endowment) Office, the Iraqi Islamic Party, and the Muslim Scholars
Association have been ignored by Shi'ite protesters. Al-Dulaymi demanded
the government call a curfew to prevent attacks on Sunni mosques, and said
mobs had already attacked mosques in Baghdad, Al-Basrah, and Al-Diwaniyah.
The government's ability to control the crisis in the coming days
will be key to staving off a broader civil conflict. Tensions were already
high in Iraq before the attack, as diverse groups faced off over the
composition of the incoming cabinet. With the majority of Iraqis off work
during the government-declared mourning period, violence could spread even
further, especially following Friday prayers on 24 February, making it
difficult for Iraqi and multinational forces to contain the situation in
many of Iraq's multiconfessional cities this time.
|
|
|
 The Golden Mosque before the 22
February bombing (courtesy photo)
UNDER THE GOLDEN DOME: The Iraqi
city of SAMARRA is the site of two major Shi'ite
shrines. Completed in 852, the Golden Mosque is said to hold the
remains of two Shi'ite imams: Ali al-Naqi and his son, Hasan
al-Askari. A second shrine marks the place where the hidden -- or
12th -- imam, Al-Mahdi, son of Hasan, went into hiding.
Imam Ali and his son Hasan were imprisoned in Samarra, the
capital of the Abbasid Dynasty, by Al-Mutawakkil Ala Allah Jafar bin
al-Mu'tasim (821-861), who is considered the last great Abassid
caliph.
According to historical accounts, Al-Mutawakkil felt threatened
by the growing influence of Shi'ite Islam and Imam al-Hadi, who was
based in Medina. Al-Mutawakkil thus brought Imam Ali and his son
Hasan to Samarra in 848 A.D. and imprisoned them inside a military
fort. Henceforth they became known as al-Askari (military) because
of the location of their imprisonment.
Following Al-Mutawakkil's death in 861, his successor had Imam
Ali poisoned (868). His son Hasan died six years later in 874.
Imam Ali al-Naqi -- the 10th Shi'ite imam commonly referred to as
Imam Ali al-Hadi -- and his son, Hasan al-Askari, the 11th imam, are
buried under the Golden Dome, which was a gift from Persian ruler
Nasr al-Din Shah (1848-1896). The dome's construction was completed
in 1905. Also buried in the shrine are Hakimah Khatun, the sister of
Imam Ali, and Nargis Kahtun, Imam Al-Mahdi's mother.
The second shrine in the complex marks the place where Shi'a
believe Imam Al-Mahdi (b. 868 A.D.), the 12th and final imam, went
into hiding. According to Shi'ite tradition, Imam Al-Mahdi, the son
of Hasan al-Askari descended into a cellar under the present day
shrine and disappeared. Shi'a believe that he never died, and he
will return on Judgment Day.
For more information on Shi'ite and Sunni sectarianism in
Iraq, see:
Sunni-Shi'ite Tensions High On Eve Of Arab
Conference
A Nation Finds Itself At A Crossroads
The
Growing Sunni-Shi'a Divide
Ayatollah
Al-Sistani Moves From Religious To Political Role
|
|