Brian George
Blog # 4
2/13/2011
12:30 PM
After the events of 2001 and even now, when many American citizens hear the religious term Islam, Muslim or even Sunni or Shi’a; they think ‘They’re all one and the same!’ but that is far from the truth. The religious division and restriction in Iraq and in some areas of the Middle East is quite possibly the largest and cruelest I’ve heard of in our modern society.
The Iraqi government has in the past brutally and regularly inflicted many limitations upon its people who don’t practice the religion that is recognized by the officials. In Iraq, Islam is the official religion for the country; however, for decades there has been oppression in the nation against many religions and individuals whose descendants were of another culture or area.
For example, Sunni Arabs have dominated economic and political life in Iraq due to their following and obeying the law that says Islam is the one true religion and rejecting other religions.
In order to preserve their stand on having Islam as the official religion, there have been attacks on Shi’a clerics. “The following government restrictions on religious rights remained in effect throughout the period covered by this report: restrictions on communal Friday prayer by Shi'a; restrictions on Shi'a mosque libraries loaning books; a ban on the broadcast of Shi'a programs on government-controlled radio or television; a ban on the publication of Shi'a books, including prayer books and guides; a ban on many funeral processions other than those organized by the Government; a ban on other Shi'a funeral observances…”. While Shi’a Arabs are the largest religious group, they go unnoticed because they are not under the government’s recognized religion; Islam.
Though the Shi’a are Muslim they are often descendants of people who were from another area outside of Iraq. Although the Shi’a are not the only religious group to go punished or targeted by Sunni Muslim, Assyrians and Christians are not recognized by the state as official.
Aside from the ‘small’ and non-violent restrictions placed on other religions, there have been attacks on clerics and other members of other religions. This has forced the Shi’a to form resistance groups and fight back…which results in more violence and even harsher religious restrictions.
I will admit that the only religion I believed to be under strict observation and limitation in the Iraq and other areas in the Middle East were that of Christianity and Judaism. Without the freedom to pursue a religion that contributes to one's spirituality and life, I believe there will always be some form of fighting in Iraq.
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