February 8, 2005
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TUESDAY POLITICSI don’t know about you, but even though this country has been at war in Iraq for years now I still have never learned exactly who they’re fighting. Do you know what a Sunni, a Shia, or a Kurd is? Well, let me tell you when you start trying to figure this out, you will run into a mindboggling morass of religious and ethnic differences in Iraq. There are, of course, more groups than those three but they seem to be the main ones that pop up on the news. So here’s a map that will help with the geographic part and here’s just a scratch on the surface of how those groups are defined. Most of the 26 million people in Iraq live in the eastern half of the country and most are Muslims who follow Islam as their faith. This religion was founded by Mohammed in the 7th century and their holy book is the Koran. Now, there is a further breakdown inside the religion into Sunnis and Shias, and a breakdown ethnically in Iraq between Arabs and the Kurds who live in the northern mountains and are ethnically Turkish. The rift between Sunnis and Shias is basically that when Mohammed died 1400 years ago they could not agree on a successor. The Sunnis believed that any qualified person could succeed, but the Shias wanted only a blood descendent of Mohammed. Now that’s as far as I got for now and it’s 100% more than I knew yesterday. Obviously, over the years there have undoubtedly been many more layers added to the mix, so if someone can offer some additional information about how the land lays now between these three groups, I’d enjoy it.
Deep Thought: “I don’t think God put me on this planet to judge others. I think he put me on this planet to gather specimens and take them back to my home planet.”
Today I am grateful for: Lugnuts
Guess the Movie: “It’s just murder. All God’s creatures do it. You look in the forests and you see species killing other species, our species killing all species including the forests, and we just call it industry, not murder.” Answer: Natural Born Killers, 1994.
Conscientious Objector Launches Web Site
WINTHROP, Maine — A 22-year-old veteran from Peaks Island, Maine who was granted conscientious objector status from the Army last November is taking to the Internet to share what he learned with others. Perry O’Brien, who served a tour in Afghanistan as an airborne medic before he was honorably discharged, on Saturday launched his online guide – http://www.peace-out.com – at a Winthrop Area People for Peace breakfast at the Winthrop Congregational Church. (Rest of article here.)
End of Day: Oops, forgot to check out last night.
+ = ACLU membership card came in mail.
- = Lieberman’s voice is like fingernails on a chalkboard.
Comments (7)
The biggest issue, of course, is that our government understands nothing about these groups, except to see them in terms of “global capital.” Whenever we choose to “colonize” (ok, “install democracy at gunpoint”) an area we either need to have a full understanding of the world view of those we are seizing control of, or we are on a path to disaster. A classic example is our mistaking a fratricidal battle in 1960s Laos for a Communist/Capitalist struggle. Another was our thought that we could separate Vietnamese independence aspirations from the the loyalty to the accomplishments of Ho Chi Minh. Yet another our expectation that Americans held some sort of positive appeal in the minds of ordinary Cubans.
The result of the above is far more likely the destabilization of Turkey, Jordan, Saudi Arabia than any chance for “Western-style democracy.” We, of course, chose to overthrow the secular government.
Thanks for this info…
The Kurdish population in Turkey is a minority population. They see themselves essentially as a displaced ethnic population and have been instigators of terrorist activity. Heavily into bus bombings. The population is largest in the Van area of Turkey (bottom left area of Turkey-Iraq). Last summer 3 Kurdish leaders (Kurds- members who had been Turkish cabinet ministers but charged with anti-Turkish sentiment) were released from prison. They were released as the government is attempting to win favor for EU membership. Within a week the PKK stated that the temporary truce had been lifted and PKK (terrorist) activities would re-commence. The Kurds want to form their own country. They want that portion of Turkey and surrounds they feel belongs to them. To say the least the support the Kurds in Iraq have been given encourages the Turkish Kurds. The Turks and Kurds are very separate ethnic groups. The Turks are very concerned as the terrorist activity in their country is Kurd associated rather than Turk instigated. The Kurds are very prejudiced against. I feel for Turkey, the EU is pressuring them, the Kurds in northern Iraq are growing in strength and I really expect to see growing PKK terrorism.
It simply confounds me that people can be so closely linked based on shared beliefs (that which cannot be known empirically). The ethnic battles I understand… there’s nothing that can be done about who you are and where you come from, and all should be treated equally, but, so much strife over things like whether or not Mohammed needs a blood ancestor (not to mention not even believing in his teachings!) is just mind boggling. I’m not even sure how to digest it, or what hope there is for peace. Where do you even begin?
Don’t know. Don’t care. LOL. Bad attitude!!!! I recall reading a book years ago about some British gal who shacked up for a while with some Kurd who sucked on her cheeks (facial) to try to keep what he called the *bloom* in them. What a weird little book that was. It wasn’t sexual in nature at all except for that one passage, which kinda made me want to toss my cookies. LOL. Sorry. I know you’re serious. Forgive me!
Serious as life and death.
Karen Armstrong is a very good religious history writer.
Yeah, I joined ACLU when the Homeland Protection Act passed. I can vouch that our state chapter does good work.