Iraq's Sectarian Violence Ending?

That's what I'm betting will happen now that Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani has weighed in on the issue.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, regarded as the moral voice of Iraq's Shiite majority, called for a government of technocrats rather than political loyalists or sectarian interests and said that only government forces should be permitted to carry weapons on the streets.

"Weapons must be in the hands of government security forces that should not be tied to political parties but to the nation," said the Iranian-born Sistani in a statement released by his office in Najaf after he met with the newly designated prime minister.
The militias that have done the most damage have been Shi'ite militias. Most of the attacks were payback for Saddam's killing Shi'ites that took to the streets after Operation Desert Storm.

Sistani has been the voice of reason in Iraq almost from the time that Baghdad fell. His was the voice that brought credence to the January 30, 2005 elections. His was the voice that called for order after the bombing of the Samarrah mosque. And now his is the voice that's telling the Shi'ite militias to lay down their arms and let the security forces handle security.

If Shi'ites heed his call, which I believe will happen, then a lot of sectarian violence will disappear within a reasonable period of time.
"The first task for the government is fighting insecurity and putting an end to the terrorist acts that threaten innocents with death and kidnapping." Sistani's views, representative of the clerical leadership based in the seminary city of Najaf, seemed to echo the statements of U.S. leaders who are eager to stem the cycle of sectarian violence and chaos so that they can begin withdrawing American-led military forces.
President Bush, and the American people, would breath a deep sigh of relief if the sectarian violence died out and he was able to substantially reduce the number of troops in Iraq.

While it's just a hope at this point, it's a hope that's based on Sistani's ability to control Shi'ites. It's worth noting, too, that trusting in Sistani's ability has worked before.

Cross-posted at California Conservative

Posted Monday, May 1, 2006 8:49 PM

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