Opinion - Editorials

A destruction foretold

See it whichever way, the destruction of Iraq's Al-Askari mosque — one of Islam's holiest shrines, revered by millions of Shia Muslims — was determined the day troops of the United States-led coalition invaded the country in flagrant violation of international law and all canons of justice. The invasion opened the floodgates of sectarian violence by akratically destroying the fabric of a nation. Although the Bush administration touted the holding of elections in December 2005 as the accomplishment of the U.S. mission to build democracy in Iraq — one of several pretexts advanced for the invasion — it has in fact contributed in a big way to the worsening of tensions among the majority Shias, the minority Sunnis, and the Kurds. All through 2005, Sunnis were targets of Shi'ite militias linked to the Interior Ministry in the Shia-run transitional government and to the leaders of the community. The victory of the Shi'ite United Islamic Alliance in the parliamentary election increased Sunni fears of a sectarian government. Just before the mosque was destroyed, Shia leaders were in talks with Sunni parties to explore the possibility of a government of national unity, a plan promoted by Washington in the belief this would bring down the levels of Sunni-led armed resistance. But if a Shia-Sunni reconciliation was never easy to achieve, the prospect has all but faded after the destruction of the golden-domed Al-Askari, and the subsequent sectarian clashes that have claimed more than 100 lives.

The Bush administration and British Prime Minister Tony Blair have accused Al Qaeda of destroying the 10th century mosque with the motive of damaging Shia-Sunni relations and plunging Iraq into further chaos. In Iraq, many believe it to be the work of the Sunni resistance to halt the task of government formation. Some even see it as a ploy by the occupying powers to justify their continuing presence in Iraq to discontented domestic audiences and to the world. While it is far from clear who was responsible for the monstrous vandalism at Samarra, it is more than evident that American and British troops have lost control of the situation. They have no role in restoring order. Much depends on how Iraq's Shia leadership responds to the current crisis. Of the two key leaders, Grand Cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani has appealed to people to protest peacefully against the destruction of the mosque. Like the younger leader, Moqtada al-Sadr, a cleric who leads the Mahdi militia and inspired two uprisings against the occupying troops, Ayatollah Sistani blames the troops for failing to protect Shia shrines despite their large presence. Both leaders want the troop out of Iraq immediately. They have the potential to reach out to the Sunnis on the basis of the common political goal of the two communities — an immediate end to the American-led occupation of Iraq. In their political will to do this lies a key to Iraq's lost nationhood.

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