Robert-Jan gaf in mijn vorige post wat tegengas over de door mij veronderstelde tegenstellingen tussen de grote geloofsgemeenschappen in Irak en gaf me een bruikbare link mee (weblog van een Irakees):
The real fear is the mentality of so many people lately- the rift that seems to have worked it’s way through the very heart of the country, dividing people. It’s disheartening to talk to acquaintances- sophisticated, civilized people- and hear how Sunnis are like this, and Shia are like that… To watch people pick up their things to move to “Sunni neighborhoods” or “Shia neighborhoods”. How did this happen?I read constantly analyses mostly written by foreigners or Iraqis who’ve been abroad for decades talking about how there was always a divide between Sunnis and Shia in Iraq (which, ironically, only becomes apparent when you're not actually living amongst Iraqis they claim)… but how under a dictator, nobody saw it or nobody wanted to see it. That is simply not true- if there was a divide, it was between the fanatics on both ends. The extreme Shia and extreme Sunnis. Most people simply didn’t go around making friends or socializing with neighbors based on their sect. People didn't care- you could ask that question, but everyone would look at you like you were silly and rude.(...)The thing most worrisome about the situation now, is that discrimination based on sect has become so commonplace.(...)And what role are the occupiers playing in all of this? It’s very convenient for them, I believe. It’s all very good if Iraqis are abducting and killing each other- then they can be the neutral foreign party trying to promote peace and understanding between people who, up until the occupation, were very peaceful and understanding.
En -verder zoekend- vond ik een artikel van Laith Saud op de Engelstalige site van Al-Jazeera:
Western analysts continue to discuss an alleged "historic" hostility between Sunni and Shia in the region. Dexter Filkins, an Iraq based New York Times journalist claimed in a recent radio interview that the Sunni in Iraq have now “realised that the Shia are their true enemy, not the Americans.” But the fact is that this statement contradicts history, Iraq Sunni and Shia have been living together for centuries. Modern history books are free from any reference to war between them, but not until the US-led invasion of Iraq.
Er wordt dus in beide stukken gezegd dat tegenstellingen tussen de Shia en de Soenni pas ontstonden ná de inval in Irak door de VS. Waar ik dan nog steeds niet achter ben is waarom die tegenstellingen juist toen ontstonden. Is er niet toch sprake van latentie geweest? Input wordt zeer gewaardeerd.
