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"A comprehensive, collaborative elections resource."
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Shiite, Sunni leaders trade barbs
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| Contributor | Penguin |
| Last Edited | Penguin May 19, 2005 09:25pm |
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| Category | General |
| Media | Newspaper - San Jose Mercury News |
| News Date | Friday, May 20, 2005 03:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | By Hannah Allam and Nancy A. Youssef
Knight Ridder
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Two of Iraq's most prominent Shiite and Sunni Muslim leaders blamed each other for sponsoring terrorism in a heated television exchange Wednesday that many Iraqis interpreted as a call to arms edging the nation closer to civil war.
The name-calling between Harith al-Dhari, the leader of the Muslim Scholars Association, an influential group of militant Sunni clerics, and Hadi al-Amri, the commander of Iraq's largest Shiite militia, represented the most brazenly sectarian -- and first public -- war of words for men of their prominence. Each commands thousands of followers, many of whom saw the accusations on the Al-Arabiya satellite channel as a sign that Iraq's sectarian tensions had reached the boiling point.
``It's definitely one step closer toward a sectarian war,'' said Hazem al-Nuaimi, an independent political analyst in Baghdad. ``People living with sectarian tensions are affected greatly'' by such outbursts.
``They will definitely be ready to take up arms against one another,'' he said. ``They will not think about their best interests.''
A senior cleric from Dhari's group was found dead Tuesday in Baghdad, the latest in a string of assassinations of Sunni and Shiite clerics. Outraged Sunni groups called for a three-day closing of mosques throughout Iraq in protest.
``The parties that are behind the campaign of killings of preachers and worshipers are the Badr Brigade,'' Dhari said, pointing angrily during a news conference broadcast on TV.
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