Posted on 01/30/2005 7:41:22 AM PST by Nate1984
Mideast Fears Violence After Iraqi Elections 02:11 Jan 30, '05 / 20 Shevat 5765
Millions of Iraqis are to vote in national parliamentary elections Sunday under worried eyes of Arab neighbors, Israel and the United States.
Other Arab kingdoms fear that successful Iraqi elections may force them to follow President George Bush's attempt to democratize the Mideast. But they also fear that violence during and after the elections will set off an eruption of internal violence, starting with Turkey.
Shiite Moslem alliances are expected to win, and there are fears that the Sunni Moslem minority that ruled under Saddam Hussein will not sit quietly if it loses power.
"If it's a successful election, then everybody will be scared of it," said Ali Shukri, a veteran Jordanian general and advisor to the late King Hussein. "If everybody tries to take the Iraqi model, there will be upheaval in the region."
Jordan's King Abdullah II already has announced plans to establish elected councils to oversee development in his kingdom. He also is concerned that a Shiite victory will lead to the emergence of a strict Islamic government in Iraq, similar to Iran’s. The results of spreading Islamic fanaticism could be devastating for Israel, which already fears Iran's nuclear ability.
The immediate fear of election results revolves around the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk, an oil-rich area with a large Kurdish population. Turkey considers the area to be part of its country. Turkish officials have said hundreds of thousands of Kurds have returned to the city to vote. A large Kurdish victory could cause civil war with Turks and a declaration of independence.
A strong Shiite victory would spell trouble for Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates which also have sizeable Shiite populations. Saudi Arabia has been rocked by several terrorist attacks the past two years.
The elections also may determine the future of the United States’ armed forces in Iraq. If the government wants the American forces to pull out, there is the danger of uncontrolled violence, but their presence also provokes anger.
how bout that one
NOW they are getting the idea!
waitaminute...I thought Bush was stooopid?
Votes, elections and democracy, OH MY!;-o
BUMP
Um, that's the general idea, Camel Breath. Ain't freedom a bitch?
It's not the Shiites that are the problem. Shiites do not believe in a literal interpretation of the Koran, and believe that religion and politics should be seperate. They believe in Democracy.
It's the Suniis that are the problem. They believe in a literal interpretations of the Koran, and that Democracy is not allowed.
The Sunnis are Wahabi Muslims. The Shiites are not.
I heard that if OBL were a candidate for any office in Saudi Arabia, he would win. Are we sure we want democracy to spread to Iraqi neighbors?
Give that man a prize, he's finally figured it out.
King Abdullah has a pretty good compromise idea. If successful, he may want to expand on it a bit.
"This is democracy. This is the first day I feel freedom."
--Fathiya Mohammed, Askan (just South of Baghdad)
Look out dictators : freedom's a juggernaut and it's headed your way.
THAT'S MAKING HISTORY!!
About 5 years ago, a woman was accused of having been in a porno movie many years before. The movie in question was probably one of those taken by some crooked hotel owner and was extremely grainy and in black and white. The trial took a very long time. There were some protests from the puclic and human rights organizations like AI.
The mullahs - I kid you not and this is not a typo - declared her guilty after having carefully watched that grainy old film of a man and woman having sex 78, that's seventy-eight, times. THEY said it was to prove to the rest of the world that they wanted to be absolutely sure they weren't convicting an innocent woman to death. Right.
The woman was stoned to death. She never once stopped protesting her innocence.
Watching the same two people have sex 78 times would put any normal person to sleep. probably after the 4th showing. These Mullahs must have superhuman powers to be able to watch the same movie that many times.
I know AMC has shown the "Green Beret" movie so many times in the last month I could write the screenplay by heart.
"I know AMC has shown the "Green Beret" movie so many times in the last month I could write the screenplay by heart."
lol, I like the last scene when the Duke can make the sun set in the East.
These countries are members of the Coalition of the Willing. They provided troops and/or material support in Iraq. Many gave their lives to topple the regime of Sadam Hussein and bring this glorious moment of freedom to pass. God bless ALL of our troops, all of those who fought and bled and died for FREEDOM. God bless everyone who contributed in any way to bring this moment to the world and may He grant enduring freedom victory over terrorism
One of the main differences between Sunni and Shia is this: the Sunnis basically believe that those who serve God (=Muslims) are supposed to be winners all the time, and if they aren't, it's because someone is opposing God and doing them dirt. Shiism is built around the memory of failure, the deaths of Ali and Hussein. They believe that we are living in a necessarily imperfect time, which will remain imperfect until the return of the Hidden Imam.
In other words, the Shia have the resources for something like a tragic sense of life and a sense of limits. They can more easily feel the force of basically conservative axioms like "The perfect is the enemy of the good" and "half a loaf is better than none" and "there are always trade-offs to be made." That's why someone like Sistani can think he's getting a pretty good deal in a state strongly influenced by Islam, as distinct from an Islamic state. The Sunni have much more difficulty understanding why God's faithful should settle for half a loaf.
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