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Sunni alienation grows as Iraq elections draw closer
 In the main hub of Iraq's Shia-dominated south, Sunni politicians work secluded in a heavily guarded compound on a street strewn with the wreckage of a recent suicide car bombing. The Iraqi Islamic Party's fortress-like headquarters reflect the plight of Saddam Hussein's Sunni minority, increasingly embattled in the countdown to January 30 elections that majority Shias embrace but most Sunnis are shunning. Bearded party leaders accuse US-led occupiers and Iraq's interim government of favouritism toward the Shias, who will cement their new-found hold on power after decades of oppression under Saddam. They also complain of growing intimidation by militias run by Shia religious parties and fledgling security forces filling their ranks with mostly Shia recruits — trends that are deepening the Sunnis' sense of alienation in the new Iraq.Many Sunnis, who made up the backbone of the ruling class under Saddam, are boycotting Iraq's first multi-party elections in nearly half a century because of a raging Sunni insurgency they say will make a fair vote impossible. A low Sunni turnout could undermine the credibility of Iraq's new parliament and the constitution it will write. "The election is a farce and we won't participate," said Jamal Khazal Makki, the party's regional chief, in his ornate office as guards with AK-47 assault rifles stood watch outside. Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, so far has been spared the worst of the violence that has shaken Baghdad and the Sunni heartland north and west of the capital. But Sunni guerrillas are now escalating their campaign in the south, threatening coexistence in a city where Sunnis and Shias have long inter-married. Posted by: Fred 2005-01-22 |
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