Re: Many Sunni Muslims diverting anger from Israel to Iran
- From: "Garlon3A" <dmayer76@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Mon, 26 Dec 2005 20:27:30 GMT
interesting. clearly israel gets zero profits if iran takes over southern
iraq. only the iranians would profit from such an outcome. if israel had
its way, iraq would become a secular, pluralistic democracy. if iran had
its way, iraq would be annexed by iran.
"Alan" <notforpublicconsumption@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:11qvucaogfak522@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Many Sunni Muslims diverting anger from Israel to Iran
>
>
>
> By Nancy A. Youssef
>
>
>
> Knight Ridder Newspapers
>
>
>
> BAGHDAD, Iraq - Since results from Iraq's national assembly election
> trickled out this week showing that Shiite Muslims -many backed by
> neighboring Iran - would dominate the new parliament, Sunni Muslims have
> begun to ask: Is Israel really Iraq's enemy, or is it neighboring Iran?
>
>
>
> Sunnis are often not comfortable talking openly about Israel, especially
> in a region where most Arabs won't refer to it by name and blame Israel
> for the conflict with the Palestinians. But privately many said Israel has
> not done anything lately to harm them; Iran has.
>
>
>
> Apparently the memory of Iraq's eight-year war with Iran in the 1980s and
> the more recent attempts by Iran to influence Iraq's majority Shiite
> population have overwhelmed recollections of Israel's 1981 bombing of a
> French-built nuclear reactor near Baghdad.
>
>
>
> Many Sunnis here say that Iran sent money and fake ballots across the
> border to support the Shiite-dominated United Iraqi Alliance slate. Now
> that the slate likely has won over a third of the parliament seats, many
> worry that Iranian influence is here to stay.
>
>
>
> "I think that Iran is more dangerous to Iraq than Israel because of the
> assassinations that the Iranians have been doing. I think Israel would
> have been more merciful," said Added Hamid Hashim, 30, referring to recent
> killings of prominent Sunnis, even though there is no proof that Iranians
> were involved. "I hated Israel before the war, but now I hate Iran even
> more."
>
>
>
> Added Mustafa Mohammed Kamal, 58, a retired schoolteacher: The Iranian
> interference in the election "was very clear and that makes Iran the
> number one enemy of Iraq. The Iranians have many supporters in Iraq.
> Israel is an enemy, but they are not as egregious."
>
>
>
> During Saddam Hussein's time, the Sunni Muslim dictator was considered one
> of the most outspoken and active supporters of the Palestinians. Indeed,
> he paid some families of Palestinian suicide bombers up to $25,000 as a
> reward. Of course, Iran was no friend of Saddam, who launched an attack on
> Iran in September 1980 that touched off a war in which up to a million
> soldiers and civilians may have died.
>
>
>
> Mithal al Alusi just ran a campaign for a seat on the new parliament while
> calling for stronger ties between Israel and Iraq, and appears to have won
> a seat.
>
>
>
> In May 2004, al Alusi publicly admitted to visiting Israel the year before
> and faced repeated assassination attempts apparently provoked by the
> visit. His only two sons were assassinated in January because of his
> support of Iraqi-Israeli cooperation, he said.
>
>
>
> But he said that some Iraqis are warming to a stronger relationship with
> Israel, in part because they are frightened of Iran's influence.
>
>
>
> "They are afraid of Iran's extremist political system. If Iran were a
> democracy, they wouldn't be afraid," Alusi said. "We don't have border
> problems with Israel. We don't have historical problems with Israel," just
> Iran.
>
>
>
> U.S. officials have said that Iranian political groups have funneled money
> into Iraq trying to influence the Dec. 15 elections. Gen. George Casey,
> commander of U.S. forces in Iraq, said earlier this month that Iran was
> "putting millions of dollars into the south to influence the elections."
>
>
>
> One of Iraq's most fanatical opponents to Iran, Mujahedeen of Iran, claims
> that Iran pumped $84 million into Iraq's December elections, although no
> one has verified that number.
>
>
>
> "We have always argued that Iran is the problem. The Iranian status in
> Iraq is a mass occupation," said Hossein Madani, a political
> representative of the group. "If you don't want to deliver Iraq to Iran on
> a silver platter, you need to do something soon."
>
>
>
> For many Shiites here, the alliance with Iran is natural. Besides sharing
> a border, Iran is the largest and most powerful Shiite-dominated
> government in the world.
>
>
>
> In the Shiite-dominated south, political parties often serve Iranian-made
> pastries at their events, women wear Iranian-made jewelry and markets
> offer an array of Iranian products, such as potato chips and photo albums.
> Residents there are unapologetic about their allegiance, but they said
> they are loyal to Iraq first.
>
>
>
> "I don't think there is an Iranian interference in Iraq or in the
> elections," said Balasim Rizoki Jassim, 28, a Shiite supermarket owner. "I
> think they can be our friends."
>
>
>
> Alusi believes Sunni politicians sometimes stoke fears of Iranian
> influence to galvanize their base, which is struggling to define its place
> in the new government.
>
>
>
> A year ago, they would have used Israel to scare up votes, he said.
>
>
>
> *************************************************************************
>
>
>
> Knight Ridder special correspondents Mohammed al Awsy and Wail al Hafith,
> and Knight Ridder correspondent Leila Fadel contributed to this report.
>
>
>
>
.
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