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September 28, 2005
The Unholy Alliance - Muqtada Al-Sadr and the Iraqi Sunnis' Opposition to Federalism
Topics: IraqAre you, like many Americans and perhaps a large number of Iraqis, somewhat confused about the real issues involved in the politics of Iraq's constitution? If so, and you'd like to know what the real constitutional issues are in Iraq and the "unholy alliances" that have been formed, Dr. Nimrod Raphaeli, senior analyst of MEMRI's Middle East Economic Studies Program, has an informative analysis that explains both the procedural and the substantive opposition to the "Draft Constitution."
Under the auspices of the Organization of Sunni Scientists, the people of Tikrit, Saddam's former stronghold, demonstrated at the end of August against the constitution while carrying the images of Saddam and those of Muqtada Al-Sadr, in a perfect manifestation of the adage that politics makes strange bedfellows. The irony of it all is that many members of Al-Sadr's family, including his father Ayatollah Mohammad Sadiq Al-Sadr and his two brothers, were killed in 1999 by Saddam's agents. His uncle, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir Al-Sadr, was executed by the Saddam regime in 1980 after calling for the establishment of an Islamic republic in Iraq.In a bit of irony, both the Sunnis - who are behind the insurgency, and the United States, who is fighting the insurgency, share a common concern - Iranian influence and domination in the Shia south. Is that a doorway for yet another unholy alliance? Probably not, but the alliances within Iraq are both strange and complex, and you'll find Iran's handprints all over the mix.
Posted by Richard at September 28, 2005 6:41 AM
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