Baghdad mosques become vigilante forts as sectarianism divides

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Baghdad mosques become vigilante forts as sectarianism divides suburbs
· Shrines store arms and host weapons training
· Fears grow that fiefdoms could turn against US

In the wave of sectarian violence that has hit Iraq since the destruction of one of the country's holiest shrines in February, many mosques around Baghdad have become training grounds and weapons stores as much as places of prayer. More significantly, they are now seen as the preserve of a single sect - the meeting place and bastion of one or other beleaguered community. The al-Nour mosque in Baghdad's western suburb of al-Jihad used to have both Shia and Sunni worshippers. "Only one Shia comes to the mosque now," said Adnan, a young guard who did not want to give his real name.


He and other Sunnis are on watch each night to defend the mosque. Neighbourhood vigilantes first sprang up in Baghdad's middle- and upper-class suburbs in the looting and lawless chaos following Saddam Hussein's downfall. Residents mounted checkpoints to protect homes and shops. The new vigilantes are on guard to protect mosques and lives.

The first wave of violence after the destruction of the shrine in Samarra, which is sacred to Shias, targeted Sunni mosques. Sunnis accused the large Shia militias - the Badr organisation linked to the interior ministry and the Mahdi army of the radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr - of leading or condoning the raids.

People, rather than buildings, became the next target. Hundreds of Baghdad Sunnis have been abducted and murdered in recent weeks, usually by armed men turning up at night, knocking on doors and seizing people. Sunnis wonder how the killers can so easily defy Baghdad's nightly curfew if they are not linked to the police. With their high roofs and minarets, mosques have become the best places from which defenders can keep watch, and alert neighbours to get their guns and join the defence.

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,1758277,00.html