HOW HE SEES IT Sunnis blame Iran for Iraq's problems
By JASIM al-SABA'WI
KNIGHT RIDDER/TRIBUNE
HAWIJE, Iraq -- Shopkeepers here are pulling Iranian imports from their shelves after a militant group threatened to kill traders and burn shops that failed to comply with a boycott.
The threat came from a previously unknown group called the High Command for the Mujahidin. A similar warning was reportedly issued in several other Sunni Arab cities, including Baqubah, Tikrit, Samarra and Fallujah.
The group accused Iran of fueling the sectarian conflict in Iraq and of supporting U.S. interventions in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Hawije, about 40 miles west Kirkuk, has been the scene of numerous violent clashes between insurgents and U.S. forces. American convoys are routinely struck by roadside bombs.
Local shopkeepers said the threat so far appears to have been successful.
Ghazi al-Jumaili, a wholesale food seller, said shopkeepers had responded "out of fear rather than persuasion."
Since the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003, Iraq's Shiite majority has been forming closer social and political ties with their co-religious in Iran. Many Sunnis worry that Tehran is exerting undue influence on the new government in Baghdad.
And with Iraq's economy in tatters, Iran has increasingly exerted economic influence over the country as well. Earlier this year, Iraq's ambassador in Tehran, Mohammed Majid Abbas al-Sheikh, estimated that sales of Iranian goods in Iraq are expected to reach $1.5 billion this year.
Saddam's birthday
In this town where many still celebrate Saddam's birthday on April 28, the boycott has found many supporters.
"Iran is the source of all trouble in Iraq," said a 38-year-old former Iraqi army officer who asked that his name not be used. "I would support this boycott even if Iran were the only country supplying Iraq."
Abu Ahmad, a local shop owner who sells household appliances, acknowledged that his business has been hurt by the boycott, but said he still supports the move.
But others worry that the boycott will only reinforce sectarian divisions that have already led to widespread violence in the country.
"The motive is nationalist and it promotes prejudice, which is one of the ailments now afflicting Iraqi society," said Naji Ismail, an economics professor at Mosul University. Ismail said that when shopkeepers comply with the boycott, "this in turn encourages militants. It reinforces their power and authority in these areas. It might not end here."
But for now, at least, few are willing to defy the militants' threat. "If there isn't a strong government capable of protecting businessmen and people, the boycott could be indefinite," al-Jumaili said.
X Jasim al-Saba'wi is a journalist in Iraq who writes for The Institute for War & amp; Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.