On the Front Line by Marie Colvin

Author:Marie Colvin [Colvin, Marie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780007487974
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2012-03-27T07:00:00+00:00

THE RELIGIOUS DIVIDE HAMPERING A NATIONAL REBIRTH

Under Saddam Hussein the Sunni Muslim minority dominated the Shi’ite majority for decades. There are about 20 million Arabs in Iraq, of whom about 75% are Shi’ite and 25% are Sunni.

After the first Gulf war, a Shi’ite uprising in the south of the country was brutally suppressed by Saddam. They now see the chance of dominating any freely elected government.

The Sunni minority are concentrated north of Baghdad, along the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. Beyond them in the northeast there are up to 5 million Kurds, who want their own autonomous region.

The dispute over the interim constitution last week centred on a clause that would have given the Kurds considerable power in deciding the long-term future of the country. Though the Shi’ites and Kurds are separated geographically and have no territorial disputes, the Shi’ites refused to allow the minority such power.

Other minorities include Turkomans, Iranians and Arab Christians.

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