Word: sunni
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...Within a few months, however, al-Obeidi had been forgotten, as Sunni insurgents fired mortars into Kadhamiya and the Mahdi Army fired back. The bridge was closed, and soon both sides were rewriting al-Obeidi's story: to Shi'ites, he became a myth; to Sunnis, a fool...
...long ago, the very mention of Ameri's name would have had Sunni politicians frothing at the mouth. And yet here was a Sunni MP, praying in his waiting room...
...change of heart is politically expedient: with provincial elections due in January, the Sunni parties in parliament face a powerful challenge from influential tribal sheiks in their own community. To counter the challenge of the sheiks' political organization, the established Sunni parties are reaching across sectarian lines for support. Come election day, they may need Ameri's help, especially in constituencies where there's a significant Shi'ite swing vote. For the same reason, the Sunni parties have also flirted with followers of al-Sadr...
...sides can play the opportunism game, of course. A week later, in Ramadi, I saw tribal sheiks gather to support Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and the Status of Forces Agreement he has negotiated with the U.S. A couple of years ago, many of the sheiks were backing the Sunni insurgency and refusing to recognize Maliki's Shi'ite-dominated government. Now, Sheik Mohammed al-Hais told me, "We are closer to Maliki than any Shi'ite group...
...Bridged. The Bridge of the Imams connecting the Sunni neighborhood of Adhamiya to the Shi'ite district of Kadhamiya was reopened on Nov. 11, and it was rightly hailed by Iraqi politicians as a turning point in sectarian relations, because the bridge had acted as a barometer of ties between the two communities. In August 2005, a stampede by thousands of Shi'ite pilgrims on the bridge left nearly 1,000 dead; hundreds plunged into the Tigris below and drowned. Despite sectarian tensions, many Sunnis in Adhamiya rushed to help rescue survivors. One young man, Othman al-Obeidi, rescued...