Infighting in Infighting

I refer to the article on Yahoo! News written by Brian Murphy: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070303/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq

This is yet another article detailing the violence in Iraq; the Hell’s Kitchen where bullets outnumber flies and roadside bombs spring up faster than weeds, and while there is oil underground the only liquid seen topside is blood.

This killing would have been like any other if not for the reason the victims were chosen. The six Sunni victims had attended a reconciliation conference with Shiites; soon after, they received death threats. If it had been a Shiite group which carried out the killing, it would have been just another case of sectarian violence; still a condemnable act, but an expected one. This time the killers were Sunnis.

Having no other news of Iraq other than reports of bloodshed, it is easy to forget that most Iraqis just want peace. The impression I got from the news was that that all Sunnis hated Shiites and vice versa. After reading this article I realised that it is the only the Sunni extremists, not the whole community, who are trying to topple the Shiite-led government.

While relieved that it is only a few who are causing chaos, I am burdened with new knowledge of the divide that exists within the Sunni community, and it is into this chasm that the possibility of peace is being pushed. How can there be peace between Sunnis and Shiites if there isn’t even peace within their own communities? While there are some who actively try to bridge the rift, there are some who will kill to keep the wound open. They want peace, but it seems they cannot agree on how to achieve it.

The worst part, though, is the fact that while I sit at my desk and pontificate, I know that I am really doing nothing to alleviate the situation.

There is a quote from the movie Hotel Rwanda. A camera-man, after shooting scenes of the Tutsi massacre, says: “I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners.”

While I might think that I am cut deeply by the cold-blooded killing and insensitive actions, I will soon shove it to the back of my mind. It will be just another snippet of information to be stored away so that I may fill my head with more important things, like the latest head-shaving antics of Britney Spears or today’s Garfield strip.

When this post is published another improvised explosive device (IED) will have gone off in Diyala. And when I think about it, I will be deeply traumatized for ten seconds before opening a chat window and forgetting about all.

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