Shiite problem can't be ignored

Ashwin Raman -- Staff Column

It's amazing how things can change so quickly. Three weeks ago when the war ended, Iraqi citizens danced in the streets with joy. No longer were they under the tyrant Saddam Hussein, and they cheered the coalition troops for freeing them.

The scene could not have gone any better for the Bush administration. And then it went the other way.

Massive looting and chaos took over many parts of Iraq. The Iraqis had found their freedom and were expressing it any way they could. And the minute some order was formed, things seemed to take another drastic turn.

The Shiite Muslims took the streets of Baghdad in celebration of their freedom to practice their faith after years of persecution by Saddam Hussein. They also grouped themselves under their clerics and began mass demonstrations aimed at the American troops chanting "No Bush, No Saddam. Islam good, good."

If we assume that the Bush administration's ultimate goal in Iraq is to establish a working democracy, then things are going according to plan, aren't they?

Maybe the demonstrations by the Shiites weren't appreciated by the Bush administration, but surely one must see that the demonstrations can be considered as an example of the Shiite's exercising their newfound democratic rights. Furthermore, the fact that the Shiites are free to practice their faith openly is another essential element of democracy. But is this what Bush had in mind?

For one thing, Shiite Muslim clerics are not only the ultimate authority in their religion but are also political figures (eg: the Ayatollahs of Iran). Hence, these clerics have lots of influence on the Shiite Muslims of Iraq and may even form a political party and run for office. This is a right they have in a democracy.

But such an event is the exact opposite of the Bush administration's plans for Iraq. The Shiite Muslims tend to be on the conservative side, and they may not want to adopt Western values. Separation of religion and state may never see the light of day if the Shiites get into power. And conservatism in any religion can also sometimes lead to the birth of fundamentalism. More fundamentalist Muslim's in the Middle East isn't going to help win the war on terror.

Worse still, the Shiites in Iraq may join hands with their fellow Shiites in Iran (Axis of Evil Member No. 2), and the Bush administration's efforts in Iraq would seem nothing short of a failure by their own standards.

I wonder if this problem was speculated by the Bush administration before going to war. Either way, they had better have a good plan to solve it.

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Ashwin Raman can be reached at [email protected]