Sunni Cleric Says U.S. Wants Civil Strife in Iraq

[NNN0LHI]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20030907/ts_nm/iraq_sunni_dc&cid=564&ncid=1480

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A respected Sunni cleric on Sunday accused the United States of trying to ignite conflict between Iraqi Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims to divide the country.

"America wants to enhance sectarian strife among Iraqis but it has so far failed to do so," Sheikh Abdul Salam al-Kubeisi, a senior official at the Association of Muslim Clerics, a Sunni body, told Reuters.

"Those enemies and invaders who are bargaining for sectarian strife among Iraqis are mistaken," he said.

An attack on a Sunni mosque in a Shi'ite neighborhood of Baghdad last week after the assassination of a top Shi'ite leader has stoked fears of sectarian conflict and even civil war in the religiously mixed country.

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[Rollins]

1. Of course Sunni's don't want strife

Because the Shiites outnumber them the Sunnis are not looking forward to a civil war. Kind of think Bush has conceeded to the Shiites. Would not be surprised if Bush pays them to try and manage the population while he tries to steal the oil.

[zbdent]

2. Bush (not the U.S.) does want civil war in Iraq

Only thing is, he thought that he could get it without spilling a drop of American soldier blood.

Keep reminding people that he declared victory on 5/1.

[RainDog]

3. read Juan Cole

Cole is a professor who is familiar with many of the players. This comment, along with the editorial in Egypt today, seem less than honest, to me.

I don't think Bush wants civil war in Iraq because he wants to be able to invade Iran. Read Talking Point Memo for his initial post on an article today, and the follow-up, based in large part on what Cole is saying here.

Civil war in Iraq would not benefit the Bushies, either here or there, because of the number of American and Iraqi civilian casualties.

It makes more sense that the minority Sunnis want to blame the US for the bombing so that they can use the power of the Shi'ites to fight against American occuption, imo.

http://www.juancole.com/

*I see a real and alarming change in tone in the usually optimistic al-Zaman newspaper, whose owner, Saad al-Bazzaz, is a member of Adnan Pachachi's Iraqi Independent Democrats Movement. It leads on Saturday with an article that says that the past two weeks have witnessed a collapse of security in Baghdad of a sort not seen since the fall of the previous regime on April 9, with large numbers of assassination attempts against prominent technocrats, bureaucrats, and businessmen, including quietists who had no association with the Baath. That is, they are not targets of reprisal killings--it is something more random and more sinister than that. It is in this context that al-Zaman reports the wounding of three worshippers at a Sunni mosque in the Shaab Township section of Baghdad. Someone seems to be trying to provoke Sunni-Shiite violence in Iraq of the sort that routinely occurs in Pakistan. (Radical Sunni groups linked to al-Qaeda are behind it in Pakistan, though it also has local roots).
Likewise, Ghassan Yahya, the son of a past Iraqi Prime Minister, Tahir Yahya (1967-1968), was assassinated on leaving his office in the Al'ab Township. His father was one of the last prime ministers to serve before the Baath coup of 1968.