Sectarian fears rise in Iraq as violence flares

By EMAD al-SHARA

BAGHDAD — A recent spate of attacks largely directed at Shia neighborhoods in Baghdad is fueling concerns that sectarian and political violence may be returning to the capital.

Residents are especially worried, given that American forces are slated to withdraw from Iraqi cities by the end of June.

Of course, Shias haven’t been the only victims. Car bombings have also occurred recently in the Dora district, which is a predominately Sunni neighborhood.

But some fear that the high number of incidents specifically aimed at Shia targets indicates that sectarian and political violence is on the rise.

“This environment is really scary,” said Mohamed Ali, a Baghdad resident. “There are whispers of the possibility of more sectarian violence and sectarian political parties taking control.” Ali al-Allaq, a member of the Shia-led United Iraqi Alliance bloc, said he believes Shia areas are being targeted in order “to stir up a sectarian war.”

Many worry that history could repeat itself. They recall that the bombing of the revered Shia al-Askari shrine in Samarra in February 2006 ignited bloody sectarian battles that plunged the country to the brink of civil war.

“Iraqi citizens have been burned by sectarian fire,” said Abdulmunam al-Asam, a writer and political analyst. “They fear (sectarianism) will return.” The latest increase in attacks has prompted authorities to post more checkpoints in and around Shia areas, particularly in front of mosques.

Street parking ban

Other precautionary procedures, such as the banning of parking on the streets and thorough inspections of buses, are being vigorously enforced.

So far, the Shia-led government has little to say about the uptick in violence.

Nor have any of the groups long associated with violence in the country claimed responsibility for the recent attacks.

A source in the Iraqi military’s Baghdad Operations Command, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the military believes al-Qaida and other Sunni fundamentalists carried out the bombings.

He cited intelligence that indicated the vehicles used in car bomb attacks entered Shia neighborhoods from Al-Radhwaniyah, an area just to the southwest of Baghdad that is known as a hotbed of Sunni militants.

The source said security forces believe that cars laden with explosives are still moving freely in the capital.

But Sheikh Ali Hatim al-Sulaiman, a tribal chieftain and leader in the Sunni-led Awakening Council, said he doubted that al-Qaida or Sunni groups were behind the attacks.

“It’s difficult for al-Qaida to blow up three booby-trapped cars at the same time in the same place given the fact that it doesn’t have a solid base in the capital,” he said.

Whoever is behind the attacks has rekindled sectarian fears.

Othman Ahmed, a Sunni shop owner in a majority Shia neighborhood, was with his father at a Kadhimiyah hospital when the Musa al-Kadhim shrine was hit.

Fear of retaliation

As bloody bodies were rushed to the hospital, Ahmed said he feared retaliation.

“I immediately called a Shia friend,” he said. “I asked him to come and get us out quickly, because I was afraid that my father and I would be killed if the Shias reacted to the bombing.” But others counsel calm and patience.

Sheikh Jassim al-Mindilawie, an imam in Al-Sajjad mosque in the mainly Shia Al-Shurta Al-Rabia neighborhood, said Shia religious leaders “don’t want to be dragged into a sectarian conflict again. Terrorist attacks should be dealt with by the elected government, not by us.”

X Emad al-Shara is a journalist in Iraq who writes for The Institute for War & Peace Reporting, a nonprofit organization in London that trains journalists in areas of conflict. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services