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| Iraq |
| Thousands Denounce U.S. in Baghdad Shi’ite Protest |
| 2003-08-13 |
| Thousands of Shi’ite Muslims poured into the streets of a Baghdad neighborhood Wednesday to denounce U.S. troops who they said had defiled a religious school by flying low in a helicopter, which struck its flag. "No, no to America!" shouted protesters who flooded the streets of a sprawling suburb populated mainly by poor Shi’ites, who form a long-oppressed majority of Iraq’s population. Arab television aired film showing a U.S. helicopter flying low over a tower where a black flag was flying. Its wheel appeared to touch the religious banner. Funny how Arab television just happened to be there, and just happened to be filming the flag when the chopper just happened to fly over, isn’t it. A military spokesman said he knew of no incidents in the area. "I dun know, they’re always bitchin about something." A Shi’ite cleric in the neighborhood said U.S. troops had defiled a sacred place, and demanded they stay away. "We request that no American soldier enter this city. The presence of American soldiers shakes security and causes terrorism. This is an aggression on the sacred Muslim places," Sheikh Qays told Reuters. "In fact, the whole country is sacred. Git out." The area was known as Saddam City under Saddam Hussein, who maintained a tradition of oppressing the Shi’ite majority, but locals now call it Sadr City after a prominent late cleric. Most leaders of Iraq’s Shi’ites, who account for about 60 percent of Iraq’s 26 million people, have largely avoided confrontation with their country’s occupiers, and some work with a U.S.-appointed council aimed at forming an Iraqi government. But you can always find enough to form a spittle spewing mob when there’s a camera crew around. Washington has made clear, however, that it disapproves of suggestions by some Shi’ite clerics that Iraq should follow the theocratic style of government adopted by Shi’ite Iran. Need to make it clearer, got some slow learners. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #3 "...This is an aggression on the sacred Muslim places." Something tells me that there's a porta potty someplace over there that these assholes consider a "sacred Muslim place". Fuck them. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-8-13 9:27:22 PM |
| #2 We should just divide the country into thirds. The unified Iraq helps the ungrateful Shia because they will be the majority and can dominate the nation, and it helps the problem-child Sunni's who still back Saddam and otherwise have no oil of their own. It benefits the treacherous Turks who did not help as agreed and who have sent troops in to cause trouble. It helps Iran and Syria both of whom are covertly helping the bad guys and have Kurdish minorities. And it scares Saudi Arabia who has a shia minority living atop their oil fields. And it benefits the Kurds who have been our ally for a decade and whom the US betrayed in the past. It's too obvious. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-8-13 7:14:42 PM |
| #1 Flying a black flag? "Yar we be Shia Pirates!" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-8-13 7:02:46 PM |