Staff Reporter
Neighbouring countries and outside influences such as the Al Jazeera news channel should not involve themselves in the disputes between Sunni and Shia Muslims in Iraq unless they have something positive to bring to the table, according to Imam Sayid Hassan al-Qazwini.
“I am begging Al Jazeera to stop adding more fuel to the fire, and to keep quiet unless they are going to help the people of Iraq,” said the prominent scholar, who is currently the leader of North America’s largest mosque, The Islamic Centre of America in Detroit, which is also the oldest Shia mosque in the US.
He explained that “foreign fighters from neighbouring countries who travel to Iraq, as well as the American occupation, have created this conflict,” adding that the countries concerned should help the Iraqi people, and if not, then they should simply not involve themselves.
Al-Qazwini is currently in Doha to take part in the latest Doha Debate, which focuses on the Shia-Sunni divide, and whether this conflict is threatening to damage the reputation of Islam as a religion of peace.
He spoke against the motion, and is adamant that the reputation of Islam will always be of a peaceful religion: “There are 1.5bn Muslims in the world, and Islam is the fastest growing religion. Muslims will not be labelled as a result of the actions of a few extremists, but on the teachings of our faith.”
Al-Qazwini believes that the conflict is based in politics as opposed to religions, and points to previous decades of peace and harmony between the two currently warring factions: “In my hometown of Karbala, when the only Sunni mosque in the town was in need of renovations in the 1970s, it was the Shia community who helped and carried them out.”
Juan Cole, the Richard P Mitchell distinguished professor of History at the University of Michigan and author of the influential web log, “Informed Comment,” spoke for the motion, but agreed with al-Qazwini about the root of the divide, which he also believes to be political.
“Very rarely do people kill people over theology; violence is always about power,” said Cole, who attributes the rise of tensions in Iraq to the US occupation.
“Following the Bush invasion and the overthrowing of the Ba’ath party, a political vacuum was created,” he explained, “this could have been filled by secular platforms, but these had all been destroyed, and political entrepreneurs emerged who focused on religion.”
Cole suggests creating a two-house legislature, similar to the system in the US, which could ensure that Sunnis, who are currently under-represented and suffering at the hands of the “tyranny of the majority,” would be guaranteed strong representation, preventing the Shia majority from simply passing any laws they wish.
On the subject of the US and Iran, both scholars believe that any conflict would result in “spillover throughout the region.” Cole pointed out that if Sunnis were seen as taking the side of the US, which is often the case, then the problems would be even worse.
However, al-Qazwini expressed hope and belief that the conflict between the US and Iran would be solved before it ever turned violent: “I think the threat of US violence against Iran vanished with the CIA report which confirmed that Iran had cancelled its nuclear programme pertaining to weapons.”
“The rhetoric and the diplomatic tensions will escalate in the future,” he said, adding “but we know how disastrous a military conflict would be, and we are only just managing to cope with what is happening in Iraq, so I sincerely hope war is avoided.”
Cole said that the threat of a US war against Iran is the reason for the division which is being exacerbated by the US, to keep the Sunni Arabs wary of the Shia and cautious of Iran.
“What the US is doing is not strange; all great powers pursue policies of divide and rule, and they are trying to isolate Iran from the Arab world by creating the division between Sunnis and Shias in Iraq,” he said, adding that he was encouraged to see that a lot of Iraqis are resisting this attempt.
However, there are other areas of the Arab world which concern al-Qazwini, including the Gulf states such as Kuwait, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, where “Shia citizens are consistently denied their human rights, while Sunnis profit from the current economic boom in the region.”
“Tensions are simmering in Bahrain, and I am worried about what will happen there, as 85% of the population are Shia, and feel completely let down by their government,” he said.
However, he also pointed out that efforts were being made to help bridge the divide between the two factions, and that hopefully the future would see reconciliation in Iraq.
“Muslims all over the world displayed their Islamic sensitivity when the cartoon was published in Denmark, and took to the streets to express their displeasure,” he said, adding, “I don’t understand why there is no similar outrage at the constant killing in Iraq.”
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