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Politics : The Castle
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To: TimF who wrote (2843)2/26/2004 4:37:15 PM
From: tejek  Read Replies (1) of 7936
 
Yes, and you don't think that it was a religious war? Saddam was secular but you don't think he favored the Sunnis over the Shia?

The reasons for the war were secular so the war was primarily a secular war. Religion gets involved like it does with a lot of things in the ME but the Iran/Iraq war was mostly secular. It was not a war to conquer land for the Sunni or to convert Shias to Sunnis. It was not a jihad. It was about Saddam's desire for more power and wealth and prestige.

First, you're are looking at it thru Saddam's secular eyes. That's not the same perception of the other players. Iran was under the Ayatollahs; the Saudis and Kuwaitis hate the Iranian Shia. Iran wanted to unite with their Iraqi Shia brothers.

Secondly, everything directly or indirectly is about religion in the ME.

The Sunni Arabs supported Saddam because they wanted him to do their dirty work and put down the Iranian Shia. I think that's called a religious war.

The other Sunni countries sent aid to Iraq but they didn't take part in the war. I wouldn't consider their motivations particularly relevant to labeling the war as religious or secular.

Why did they want the Iraninan Shias put down? Iran wasn't threatening anyone.

Also for the other Arab countries their aid was as much about Arab vs. Persian as it was Sunni vs. Shia.

Hardly. There are many non Arab Muslims in the world. There would be no peace in Islam if the Arabs and non Arabs went at each other.

However, traditionally, the Shia are the enemy of the Sunni. Iran is a powerful nation that had recently become a Shia Islamic state....the first in the ME. The Sunnis were uncomfortable with that development. They used Saddam to go after Iran.



Yes, so you were all for sending aid to Saddam......is that right?

At the time I didn't really have much of an opinion. In 1980 I was only 12.

How time flies when you're having a good time! <g>

ted
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