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| Iraq |
| Sunnis seethe, make faces, pout...and vote |
| 2005-12-15 |
| Heh. Indeed. Thabet Waleed woke at 6 a.m., said his prayers and headed to the polling place near his home, not just to vote but also to monitor elections. It was in stark contrast to last January, when he slept until midmorning and boycotted the balloting. The story of Waleed and his family is that of many Sunni Arabs, who saw in Thursday's election a chance to make a show of strength and prevent Shiites from taking full control of Iraq. Eager to reclaim their status in politics, some regarded the ballot box as a way to start anew. Others remained nostalgic for a bygone era, when they were at the helm. Waleed said developments since January — most notably a government dominated by Shiites and Kurds — have convinced him that staying away from the polls was a mistake. "We have been marginalized ... and humiliated," said Waleed, a lean and mustachioed 35-year-old worker for a Sunni charity. "Now, we have to contest the political process so that we can be in control." On the eve of the vote, Waleed and his extended family gathered around the television set at the family home, where he and his wife live with his mother, to watch news and election ads. All voted for the same Sunni alliance. Grievances — real or imaginary — were a main topic. Rasheed said food rations distributed by the government are always missing some staples, and the streets are strewn with garbage. Israa complained that police raids have become so arbitrary she has to hide her brothers at her place when word gets out that one is imminent. Waleed said Sunni Arabs are subjected to unjustified arrests and squeezed out of jobs. "They (the Shiites and the Kurds) feel that we were favored by Saddam Hussein, and now they want to settle scores with us," he said. "We're living in danger." But in the run-up to the vote, Waleed felt safe enough to hang posters promoting a Sunni coalition, go house-to-house to hand out calendars bearing the alliance's name and chant the group's slogans at a rally. On Thursday, he monitored the vote on behalf of the Iraqi Islamic Party, a member of the Sunni coalition, despite pleas from his wife who feared for his life. Waleed said that, in principle, he didn't care if the new government was Sunni or otherwise, as long as it was fair. But on the streets of Azamiyah, residents were seething with anger at the current government, dominated by a religious Shiite alliance. On her way to the polling center, Israa stopped in front of one poster that showed photos of men — killed, injured or handcuffed. "Look! They have killed them all," she said. "It's the Badr organization," she added, referring to a Shiite militia. In Azamiyah, voting for the religious Shiite alliance seems so out of the question, residents joke about it. As Waleed left the polling center, a neighbor sitting outside a grocery store yelled out: "So, you voted for 555?" teasingly referring to the Shiite alliance. "Don't make me throw a grenade at you," Waleed joked. Both laughed. |
| Posted by:Seafarious |
| #1 seething with anger at the current government, dominated by a religious Shiite alliance. On her way to the polling center, Israa stopped in front of one poster that showed photos of men — killed, injured or handcuffed. "Look! They have killed them all," she said. "It's the Badr organization," she added, referring to a Shiite militia. Big fat clue to Israa: You might reqind the clock 30 years and substitute "Baathist/Sunni" for the current government, and "Shias/Kurds" being slaughtered." If you had voted a year ago things would be different, knucklehead. |
| Posted by: anymouse 2005-12-15 15:37 |