home

Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist Law Controlling

By Jeralyn, Section War In Iraq
Posted on Sun Aug 21, 2005 at 12:15:07 PM EST
Tags: (all tags)
Share This: Digg! StumbleUpon del.icio.us reddit reddit

What a victory for democracy (not.)

The U.S. has backed the Shi'ites in the Iraq Constitution fight - which would make Islamist law predominant. The Sunnis want the U.S. to withdraw their support for the draft document.

A retreat to Sharia law would be the antithesis of a democratic state. Didn't George Bush tell us we were going to war to bring a democracy to Iraq? What a total failure both Bush and his war are.

Juan Cole:

Al-Hayat: In one of the major disputes outstanding between the Kurds and the Shiites, on whether Islamic law will be the fundamental source or only one of the sources of Iraqi law, the Shiite religious parties appear to have won out. AFP reports that the reason for this is that the United States has swung around and begun to support the primacy of Islamic canon law.

We won't bring freedom and democracy to Iraq any more than we did to Vietnam.

< Red Cross Distributes Saddam's Prison Letter | Kelo Backlash Growing >

  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


    • Display: Sort:
    Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist Law Controlling | 19 comments (19 topical)
    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#1)
    by Dadler on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    Agreed. We have no real moral standing there, so it's next to impossible to preach equality and secularism. And what of the forgotten war in Afghanistan? Seeing my little brother tonight, first time in a long time, before he heads to help train the Afghan army for a year. I can tell from the tone in his voice that, after spending almost a year in Baghdad, he is dreading going back into a war-torn region. The region we forgot so we could make mincemeat of Iraq. Send some vibes to him, he'll need them. Peace, J. You get my last few coins in the kitty?

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#2)
    by squeaky on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    More from Juan Cole:
    A secular Muslim reader writes on the reactionary implications of implementing Islamic canon law in Iraq: "Bush’s crime family has no problem if Iraq becomes another failed nation as long as the second deadline of Aug 22 becomes “successful”".
    update

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    And the son follows in the footsteps of the father, making the world safe to spread...14th century Islamic Fiefdoms. The Sunnis' are now calling for US help. Wonder if the Bush admin. can be bothered, as we were (after the other excuses were debunked) told we were here to spread Western style democracy. I'm not holding my breath.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#4)
    by Ernesto Del Mundo on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    Chuck Hagel...who actually went to Vietnam (unlike every single f-ing weasel left in the war party) throws a cold dose of reality on all of them today.
    ``What I think the White House does not yet understand - and some of my colleagues - the dam has broke on this policy,'' Hagel said. ``The longer we stay there, the more similarities (to Vietnam) are going to come together.''
    I guess Hagel can expect to be swiftboated now. The writing is on the wall for the neocons. Let's give them a fair trial (even tho they don't deserve it) and be done with them before they bleed the us and the treasury completely dry.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#5)
    by john horse on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    The longer we stay in Iraq the weaker the US is becomes. Islamic radicals with close ties to Iran have come to power, including Muqtada al-Sadr, who controls one of the biggest blocs in the government. I imagine that it must be strange for American soldiers to be fighting for a government that includes al-Sadr, a person responsible for killing many of their comrades, a person who believed that the attack on the Twin Towers was God's will. In cities dominated by these Shiite fundamentalists we have seen a return to Taliban-like control with the enforcement of "a conservative Islamic code, including dress codes and bans on alcohol and other non-Islamic behavior." The new Iraqi government is on the State Department's list of goverments practicing torture. Iraq has turned into one big mess. The only reason that we are still there is because Bush and the Republicans don't want to be seen as having lost a war. This just isn't a good enough reason for Americans to keep dying.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#6)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:34 PM EST
    Interesting.. where was everyone almost a year ago? napping? Bush clearly stated he was OK with a fundamentalist Islamic state in Iraq if that were to be the result of their "democratic" election. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1222997.htm I guess this didn't sink in on either the right or the left.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#7)
    by scarshapedstar on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:35 PM EST
    Interesting.. where was everyone almost a year ago? napping? Bush clearly stated he was OK with a fundamentalist Islamic state in Iraq if that were to be the result of their "democratic" election. http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200410/s1222997.htm I guess this didn't sink in on either the right or the left.
    Well, this was the only possible outcome, but it's a little more than what Bush said. This isn't just an election result, this is an active push for theocracy as American policy.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#8)
    by soccerdad on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:35 PM EST
    The last thing the neo-crazies wanted is a fundamentalist Islamic government. Bremer and his ilk spent a great deal of efort trying to fix the system so that a US friendly govenment could be installed. The inability to control the insurgency has caused everything to unravel. The real issue is not the Islamic law per se, the real issue is the close alignment with Iran. The US has spent a great deal of effort over the years trying to minimize the influence of Iran. This meant supporting Saddam against Iran. The debacle in Iraq means that Iran has more influence than ever before and the US influence wans more and more every day. The reason for the war is very easy to understand for those who have read the writings of the neocons and looked at a map of the Mideast. The Saudis wanted us out of their country since they want to decrease the instability that our presence brought. That meant that new bases were needed in order to continue to exert political and military influence in the area to preserve the flow of oil, i.e. the Carter doctrine. So the plan was invade Iraq kick their butts, install a friendly government, and then on to Iran. However, the wheels have come off the war machine. The reason the Dems have not been very vocal against the war, is that they agree with its purpose, i.e. maintain influence and preserve the flow of oil. They all realize that losing this war will have a diasterous effect on our supply of oil. But I guess they can always try to overthrow Chavez again or if that fails invade them.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#9)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:35 PM EST
    Bush clearly stated he was OK with a fundamentalist Islamic state in Iraq if that were to be the result of their "democratic" election.
    The word "democratic" is in scare quotes, which I take to mean that provided the average Iraqi has no say in the drafting of their new constitution, which might result in the formation of a fundamentalist Islamic state, that would be fine with Bush. I'm surprised he didn't insist on a fundamentalist Christian state.

    Re: Iraq Constitution: Sunnis Object to Islamist L (none / 0) (#10)
    by Sailor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 01:02:35 PM EST
    Didn't George Bush tell us we were going to war to bring a democracy to Iraq?
    Not to quibble, but the FIRST story was the admin said we had to go to iraq because they were a threat to the US and involved in 9/11. The SECOND story was iraq had WMDs and would eventually use them ... on us. The THIRD story was iraq had WMD programs that would eventually be used on us. The FOURTH was iraq had plans to have WMD programs that would ... yada yada yada. Only until they moved the goalposts again did the FIFTH story magically appear which was to establish a shining beacon of democracy in the ME ... (and torture and rape rooms and 14 permanent US bases) ... oh yeah, and get their oil. Hearts and flowers. Pay for itself. Greeted as liberators. Erect (and when was the last time you heard that mentioned in the same sentance as George Bush) statues to GWB.