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July 30, 2005

When a rumor is news - Repeat Suicide Bombing Rumored At Site Of Previous Deadly Attack

Topics: Iraq

Can a rumor be news? Sometimes the fact that a rumor exists and is passed from one group to another, in this case Sunni to Shia, it's news.

You may recall the devastating suicide bombing attack reported back on July 17, that occurred in Musayyib, 40 miles south of Baghdad, where a suicide bombing ignited a fuel truck in front of a Shiite mosque as thousands were strolling through nearby markets in the cool of the evening or heading for sunset prayers. Musayyib is on the Euphrates River, and sits in the "triangle of death," an area so-named because of the large number of kidnappings and killings of Shiite Muslims traveling between Baghdad and the holy cities of Karbala and Najaf. We reported on the attack in several posts, using information and images provided by our friend Sabah, who lives in the area. Sabah's son owned an Internet cafe that was destroyed in the blast (image of actual blast - provided by a friend of Sabah's son).

In an email, just now received, Sabah informs me that there is a rumor circulating in his community that another attack in the same area is expected, possibly today. Here is an excerpt from his email:

... Hence l have to find a suitable internet cafe' source to have my participation. I guess it costs me $ 40 per month. So do not worry about me the following week if l only contact you through other internet cafe' available close to where the suicide blast occurred ! 'smile' By the way , today there is a rumor that the same place where the blast occurred last week may face another aggressive attempt. My sons advised me not to go down the city to check my inbox but l persuaded them all would be O.K.

Here we have just a rumor, not news, of a suicide attack. However, besides the fact that there is the potential for more devastation in a community that's already suffered heavy losses in property and lives, it's news that 'rumors' of a suicide bombing occuring on a given day - even occuring at all in a specific community, exist. Add to the mix of oddity, the fact that Sabah's community is a mixed community of Sunni and Shiite Muslims, and they don't seem to get along all that well (except for the matter of the rumor being most likely to have originated from a Sunni and passed on to a neighbor or Shia friend, or the Shias, such as Sabah, wouldn't have an inkling of the attack until after it occured)

In previous emails, Sabah has described his Shia neighbors being angry and threatening their Sunni neighbors with AK-47s, after the last suicide bombing with the fuel truck that killed and injured so many people. The Shiites believed the Sunnis to be responsible for the blast, for allowing in the foreign jihadis that commit the bombings.

It appears that many of the Sunnis are tiring of the bombings, and tired of being blamed for the attacks by their neighbors in mixed neighborhoods. Maybe it's a begining.

Posted by Hyscience at July 30, 2005 9:28 AM

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• When a rumor is news - Repeat Suicide Bombing Rumored At Site Of Previous Deadly Attack - Jul 30, 2005