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May
22, 2003
Mark
Gaffney
Christian in Name Only
Carl
Estabrook
Republic of Fear
Carl
Camacho, Jr.
Reason for Hope
Ben
Granby
What Rates a Headline from the Middle
East?
Vanessa
Jones
Terror Alerts in Australia
Mickey
Z.
Instant Understanding
Don
Monkerud
Snowballs in a Soggy Economy
Barry Lando
The Nether-Nether World of G.W. Bush
Steve
Perry
Total Information
Awareness: Secret Shadow Program?
May
21, 2003
Dave
Lindorff
Ari Fleischer Quits the Scene: The
Liar's Gone, the Enablers Remain
Chris
Floyd
How Blood Money Becomes Business Opportunity
Dr. Gerry
Lower
Graham's God and Bush's Pathology
Patrick
Cockburn
In Post War Iraq, the Signs of Breakdown
are Everywhere
Brian Cloughley
The Fatuous Braintrust: Newt, Rummy and Wolfowitz
Saul
Landau
Shopping, the End of the World and the Politics of Bush
Larry Kearney
Two Morning Poems, May 2003
Steve
Perry
Chaos in Iraq: Just What the US Wanted?
Elaine
Cassel
Ashcroft Justice Comes to Iraq
May
20, 2003
Tariq
Ali
The Empire Advances
Ahmad
Faruqui
Whither American Nationalism?
Ben Tripp
Dialysis with Osama
Linda
Heard
The Cage of Occupation
Cynthia
McKinney
Toward a Just and Peaceful World
Edward
Said
The Arab Condition
Mokhiber
and Weissman
Why Ari Should Have Resigned in Protest Long Ago
Stew
Albert
Yale Men
Steve Perry
The New Face of Al-Qaeda
May
19, 2003
Veteran
Intelligence Professionals for Sanity
A Letter to Kofi Annan on Powell's Missing
Evidence
CounterPunch
Wire
"Terror" Slut Steve Emerson
Eats Crow
John
Chuckman
Blair's Awkward Lies
Matt
Vidal
Corporate Media and the Myth of the Free Market
Michael
S. Ladah
The Fine Print to Bush's Road Map
Robert
Fisk
Bush's Eternal War Backfires
Elaine
Cassel
Clarence Thomas, Still Whining After All These Years
Jonathan
Freedland
Ann Coulter's Appalling Magic
Steve Perry
Play It Again, O-Sam-a
May
17 / 18, 2003
Uri
Avnery
The Children's Teeth
Peter
Linebaugh
An American Tribute to Christopher
Hill
Gary
Leupp
Nepal Today
Rock and
Rap Confidential
The Republican Plot Against the Dixie Chicks
Walter
Sommerfeld
Plundering Baghdad's Museums
Ron Jacobs
Condy Rice's Yipping Tirades
Thomas
P. Healy
Dubya Does Indy
Tarif Abboushi
Bush, Sharon and the Roadmap
Francis
Boyle
Debating US War Crimes in Iraq
Mark Davis
An Interview with Richard Butler
Richard
Lichtman
American Mourning
Michael
Ortiz Hill
Overcoming Terrorism
Adam
Engel
Uncle Sam is YOU!
Alan Maas
The Best News Show on TV
Poets'
Basement
Reiss, Guthrie, Albert
Elaine
Cassel
Good Enough for an Alien
Website
of the Weekend
The 37 Americans Who Run Iraq
Song of
the Weekend
Talkin' Sounds Just Like Joe McCarthy Blues
May
16, 2003
Leah
Wells
In Iraq Water and Oil Do Mix
Ben Tripp
Fear Itself
Sharon
Smith
The Resegregation of US Schools
Ramzy Baroud
Does Defeat Have to be So Humiliating?
Sam
Hamod
A Nation of Fear
Phil Reeves
Baghdad Pays the Price
Robert
McChesney
The FCC's Big Grab
Mark Engler
Those Who Don't Count
Steve
Perry
We're All
Extras in Bush's Movie
Website
of the Day
Iraq and Our
Energy Future
May
15, 2003
Ayesha
Iman and Sindi Medar-Gould
How
Not to Help Amina Lawal: The Hidden Dangers of Letter
Writing Campaigns
Julie
Hilden
Moussaoui and the Camp X-Ray Detainees:
Can He Get a Fair Trial?
Tanya
Reinhart
Bush's Roadmap: a Ticket to Failure
Laura Carlsen
Here We Go Again: NAFTA Plus or Minus?
Kenneth
Rapoza
The New Fakers: State Dept. Undercuts
New Yorker's Goldberg
Stew Albert
A Story I Will Tell
Steve
Perry
Bush's Little
Nukes
Website
of the Day
Strip-o-Rama
May
14, 2003
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Jason
Leopold
The Pentagon and Hallburton: a Secret
November Deal for Iraq's Oil
David
Lindorff
Fighting the Patriot Act: Now It's
Alaska
John
Chuckman
Giggling into Chaos
Jack
McCarthy
Twin Towers of Journalism: Racism
and Double Standards
Wayne
Madsen
Assassinating JFK Again
M.
Junaid Alam
The Longer View
Paul
de Rooij
The New Hydra's Head:
Propagandists and the Selling of the US/Iraq War
James
Reiss
What? Me Worry?
Steve Perry
More on Saudi Arabia Bombings
Website
of the Day
A Tribute to Ted Joans
May
13, 2003
Saul
Landau
Clear Channel Fogs the Airwaves
Michael
Neumann
Has Islam Failed? Not by Western
Standards
Uri
Avnery
My Meeting with Arafat
Steve Perry
The Saudi Arabia Bombing
Jacob
Levich
Democracy Comes to Iraq: Kick Their Ass and Grab Their Gas
William
Lind
The Hippo and the Mongoose: a Question of Military Theory
The
Black Commentator
Fraud at the Times: Blaming Blacks for White Folks' Mistakes
Stew Albert
Asylum
Hammond
Guthrie
An Illogical Reign
Website
of the Day
Sy Hersh: War and Intelligence
May
12, 2003
Chris
Floyd
Bush, Bin Laden, Bechtel, and Baghdad
Dave
Lindorff
America's Dirty Bombs
Sam
Hamod and Elaine Cassel
Resisting the Bush Administration's War on Liberty
Uzi
Benziman
Sharon and Sons, Inc.
Jason
Leopold
The Decline and Fall of Thomas White
Rich Procter
George Jumps the Shark
Federico
Moscogiuri
Going to Israel? Sign or Else
Steve
Perry
Bush's War Web Log 5/12
Book
of the Day
Fooling
Marty Peretz
Website
of the Day
T-Shirts to Protest In
Hot Stories
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Elaine
Cassel
Civil Liberties
Watch
Michel
Guerrin
Embedded Photographer Says: "I
Saw Marines Kill Civilians"
Uzma
Aslam Khan
The Unbearably Grim Aftermath of War:
What America Says Does Not Go
Paul de Rooij
Arrogant
Propaganda
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
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May
23, 2003
The Game is
On
The Shi'a of
Iraq
By SAM HAMOD
The Shi'a of Iraq are a mixed bag at this time,
caught between Najaf of Iraq and Qom of Iran. Imam Hakim, by
far the most powerful Imam, who spent several years in exile
in Iran, has spoken for an Iraqi government, with Islamic principles,
but not asked for a theocracy. Imam Sistani, who was able to
stay in Iraq during the regime of Saddam Hussein and persist
in being a true Shi'a leader, and a man who told his followers
to cooperate with the American invasion, is a man on the bubble
at this point. Imam Sadr, the son of martyr, Imam Sadr, is pushing
for strength among the youth of Iraq in competition with Imam
Sistani. There is also Imam Fartusi, an outspoken man who not
only faced up to Saddam but also had the courage to face up to
the American military as soon as they came into Iraq. These are
the four major players among the Shi'a of Iraq, give or take
a few others who do not have the clout of these four. All are
devout Muslims, all want Islamic principles to be the foundation
of the new Iraq, but each will have to work out how the country
will develop as they go because they not only have to work with
their Iraqi people, but must also contend, at least for a while,
with the American/British occupation forces and the new dictators
being foisted upon them by the Bush/Blair leadership in Washington
and London.
The Shi'a of Iraq have been devout, but
have not pushed for a theocracy such as exists in Iran. They
also see their Islamic university of theology in Najaf as being
superior to the Iranian Shi'a school in Qom (the late Imam Khomeni's
center of power).
The teachings in Najaf and Karbala are
more liberal and have more philosophy in the curriculum than
the schools in Iran; thus, the leading Iraqi imams have always
tended to have a liberal outlook in the modern era post Khomeni.
However, prior to Khomeni, the imams in Iran were more liberal
and had a broader education and also had a sense of their Persian
cultural background as well as that of their own brand of Islam.
At the present time, we cannot simply
see the Shi'a of Iraq in a Muslim vacuum, but must also see it
in the context of the American invasion and occupation.
Not one Shi'a leader now espouses working
with the American/British occupation; all want Bush/Blair out
of Iraq, PERIOD!
Are they willing to die to accomplish
this? The answer is a clear and firm, Yes. Will they allow the
Bush/Blair occupation to have any peace? No, not unless they
are all killed--and this means 98% of the Iraqi people. Will
they allow Bremer or the other American stooge, Chalabi to dictate
to them? No. Will they recognize the new American judges and
others to run the country? No. Will there be assassinations of
American officials? Yes. Will an American be able to go out on
the street unarmed or without heavy weaponry? No. Will Iraqis
in other parts of the world join underground anti-American groups?
Yes. Will they join
Al Qa'ida? Most likely not, but some
will; but on the whole, they will act with other groups of Muslims
in the world who are now more anti-American than any time in
history. Will they have suicide bombers to resist Bush/Blair
the way Palestinians have resisted Israel's brutality? Not immediately,
but if the Bush/Blair occupation persists and becomes more brutal,
as it looks though it will, then this will also come into play.
Do the Iraqis feel intimidated by the Bush/Blair troops? No,
and they have lost respect for them and lose more each day as
the thuggery, thefts, attacks from gangs gets worse and all law
and order, medicine, food, water and sewage problem get worse.
These are answers to important questions that one must ask of
the situation.
Yes, law and order are breaking down
even more, none of the sewage or water problems have been solved;
yet, American firms are already working in the oil fields making
money, talking about rebuilding roads and buidings--yet the people
are without clean water, without clean food, without medicine
and without security.
Obviously, they will not tolerate this
much longer, as they see their children die of cholera and other
dirty water diseases. Have they lost their respect for America
as a democratic nation? Yes, and when they get the Ashcroft crew
in, with Bremer and Rumsfeld as well, they will get fed up even
faster and will respond in ways that will surprise the Bush/Blair
troops and U.S. administration.
The Iraqis do not feel the West has that
much to offer them; they have a strong belief in their own culture,
and much of this is their firm belief in Islam. But, in their
minds, they do not need Imams running the country, and would
protest if any of the Imams tried to foist a Khomeni/Iran type
of regime on them.
This does not mean that Imam Hakim and
some others might not move in that direction, but once he sees
the Iraq wind blowing against it, he will be an Iraqi type leader,
not an Iranian type.
In fairness of Imam Hakim, he has learned
from being in Iran, of the values and weaknesses of the Iranian
system; this will help him, if he emerges as the top leader,
of ways of operating that will be appropriate to Iraq and his
people.
Imam Sistani still has a major following,
but even he has moved to the right politically and to a degree
religiously; but he is a man of character, as are all the men,
and is willing to stand his ground and die if necessary rather
than to be undone. He has great power in Najaf and Karbala, the
two holiest cities of the Shi'a because he has been in charge
of the tombs and the mosques in those areas.
Imam Sadr is younger, has his father's
cache, plus his own ethos that attracts many of the more militant
young Iraqis who are knowledgeable about his fathers' assassination
by Saddam and who are worldly enough to understand America, Israel
and the simmering situation in the Middle East. No matter what
happens, each of the older Imams will try to get Imam Sadr to
work with them to increase their base and appeal. His appeal
is also strong in Najaf and Karbala, but he is also wooing other
younger Iraqis in Baghdad, Basra and elsewhere.
Imam Fartusi, has always had a following,
and has great respect for his standing up, even to arrest by
the Americans, and is also another wild card in this situation.
Theologically, he is very strong, has a fiery style and can move
crowds in directions he wishes, especially in Baghdad.
I have not discussed theology because
their education in Najaf and Karbala was relatively the same,
but the politics of the present situation and their reaction
to it will differentiate them in time.
As far as theology is concerned, they
are closer to the Lebanese style of Shi'a, which I covered in
a previous essay on CounterPunch, than they are to the Qom, Iranian
school of repressive domination under the doctrine of a reactionary
type of formal, non-progressive Islam. As I said earlier, I do
not see them trying to impose a Khomeni type rule, but even if
one of them is foolish enough to try this, it will not succeed.
As far as the situation of the occupation
is concerned, allow me to say this, the Bush/Blair have tried
to work with Sistani, have a fear of Hakim, don't quite know
how to deal with Sadr and are worried about Fartusi. My thought
is that though they are leaders who are in competition with one
another, they will join forces when necessary to deal with the
Bush/Blair occupation, in order to oust the Bush/Blair group.
This will lead to bloodshed, and obviously, some of them will
be killed. But, people in the West must understand, they do not
fear death the way people do in the West--a heroic death on the
side of what they consider to be right, God's way, is preferable
to domination by a non-Muslim outsider. To a man, they have had
enough of occupation and servitude; to them, the game is now
on and they would rather die resisting than live in any further
captivity.
Sam Hamod
is an expert on world affairs, especially the Arab and Muslim
worlds, former editor of THIRD WORLD NEWS (in Wash, DC), a former
professor at Princeton University, former Director of The National
Islamic Center of Washington, DC, an advisor to the US State
Department and author of ISLAM IN THE WORLD TODAY. He is the
editor of www.todaysalternativenews.com,
and may be reached at shamod@cox.net
Today's
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Mark
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Christian in Name Only
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Estabrook
Republic of Fear
Carl
Camacho, Jr.
Reason for Hope
Ben
Granby
What Rates a Headline from the Middle
East?
Vanessa
Jones
Terror Alerts in Australia
Mickey
Z.
Instant Understanding
Don
Monkerud
Snowballs in a Soggy Economy
Barry Lando
The Nether-Nether World of G.W. Bush
Steve
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