Juan Cole

The Aftermath AP reports that Shiite and Sunni clerics jointly led a big procession from East Baghdad to Kazimiyah on Wednesday, attempting to emphasize communal harmony in the face of the Ashura’ bombings. Since the perpetrators were almost certainly Sunni Arabs, there was some danger of anguished Shiites lashing out at Iraqi Sunnis. Shiite leaders, […]

Rooting for the Company The Washington Post also has an interesting article by Dana Priest on why the 300 CIA case officers in Iraq haven’t been able to prevent events like that on Tuesday. As someone who cares about the welfare of my Shiite and other Iraqi friends, I have to say I wish the […]

US Allies: Iraq War Increased Terror Threat Not only are Shiites in Iraq upset with poor US provision of security, but the publics in major US allies and neighbors are now afraid that the Iraq war as increased the terrorist threat in the world, according to an AP poll.. The report says, ‘ The AP […]

Sectarian Strife in Iraq? AP’s Hamza Hendawi has a good piece today on the way in which the Ashura bombings “strain the Iraqi social fabric.” He quotes me as saying that I don’t think civil war is likely, but that urban turmoil could break out. My point is that in Lebanon, where I saw the […]

Al-Hakim: “Fix Date for Elections!” az-Zaman: Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) has said that the date for elections in Iraq should now be fixed. He preached on the holy day of the 10th of Muharram, which commemorates the martyrdom of the Imam Husayn, grandson of the […]

Sunnis Donate blood to Shiites Az-Zaman: In the Sunni city of Fallujah, mosque officials with microphones urged citizens to donate blood to the victims of the bombing at Kazimiyah. In in the Sunni district of Azamiyah in Baghdad, where the bridge was blocked that leads over the river to the Shiite quarter of Kazimiyah, appeals […]

Iranian VP Condemns al-Qaeda as force behind Ashura Bombings America Political Enemy, Shiism Ideological Enemy, of al-Qaeda Mohammad Ali Abtahi, Iranian Vice President for Parliamentary and Legal Affairs, at his Persian Weblog, Webnevesht, blames al-Qaeda for the bombings in Karbala and Kazimiyah, as Tarek al-Issawi and Hamza Hindawi note. Abtahi writes: “Around noon today during […]

The Bombings at Kazimiyah and Karbala The day of Ashura’ is the holiest in the calendar of Shiite Islam, commemorating the brutal martyrdom of the Imam Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. In many ways, the tradition of Shiite mourning of this “passion” is similar to that witnessed in Mel Gibson’s recent film. For […]

IGC Approves Interim Constitution The Washington Post reports that the Interim Governing Council finally approved the Fundamental Law it has been working on, on Monday. It will be signed Wednesday after the holy day of Ashura’ or the 10th of Muharram. The WP article is celebratory, and quotes a Chalabi aide as representing the “Shiites.” […]