On Wednesday, a fight broke out between Sunni politicians in parliament, where Speaker Mahmoud al-Mashhadani accused other Sunni lawmakers of corruption and of stalling ratification of a religious edict intended to end sectarian clashes. Al-Mashhadani was holding a news conference to condemn lawmakers for failing to show up for a vote when he suddenly shouted at a rival lawmaker in the audience, Abdel-Karim al-Samarie, a member of the main Sunni parliamentary bloc, the Iraqi Accordance Front. "You did not attend (parliament) because of your corrupt political affiliation," al-Mashhadani screamed, adding: "You are dishonest and a dog" — a deep insult in Iraq and other Arab societies. Al-Samarie responded by calling al-Mashhadani a false patriot. The speaker, who belongs to a rival Sunni group — The National Dialogue Council — lunged at al-Samarie and tried to punch him, but was held back by bodyguards.
This is a snip from a larger story about the kidnapping of two Sunni athletic coaches, one of them blind. |