When I saw this on CNN today I thought about how little I know regarding the Middle East. We hear a lot on the media about what is going (e.g. Sunnis vs. Shi’as) and it just registers with me as two groups that don’t get along. As busy as we all are, we do not always take time to ask why or why not? Thank goodness for Wikipedia (yes cursory, but free and for the most part unbiased); it’s so awesome to be able to quickly and productively gain context and information. I have been doing it from my BlackBerry Pearl and using downtime to gain knowledge. I am also reading Tom Friedman’s “From Beruit to Jerusalem” – fascinating to say the least. A must read for those of you who have read the post this far.
Here is a start. Wiki away!
Iraq:
Iraq
Demographics of Iraq
Religions:
Demographics of Islam
Sunni Islam
Shi’a Islam
Map of Shi’as
Making all of these separatist elements in Iraq work in a unified manner will take a lot of work. Even Ghandi was not able to do it in India; that’s why Pakistan was created as a haven for Muslims (mostly Sunni I suppose) after the British left.
Also, understanding the demographics of Sunnis and Shi’as in the region really tells a story in and of itself (i.e. Iran is Shi’a but Syria and other more developed Arab countries are Sunni). Now look at the map of Iraq Demographics – very interesting. Which Islamic denomination was in control of Iraq? How does Lebanon fit in the picture; what Islamic denomination is Hezzbolah? Is Iraq destined to be another Lebanon? Are we arrogant and/or ignorant?