MUST READ: SECOND SAMARRA BOMBING STRENGTHENS STATUS OF MOQTADA AL-SADR

Second Samarra Bombing Strengthens Status of Moqtada al-Sadr
By Babak Rahimi

On June 13, suspected anti-Shiite Sunni attackers once again bombed the al-Askari shrine mosque in the city of Samarra, just north of Baghdad. This time, however, the two blasts leveled the two minarets, which were the only parts of the ruined shrine left standing after the holy site was first bombed on February 22, 2006 (IRNA, June 14). The al-Askari shrine holds sacred significance to Shiite Muslims, as it is where the tenth and the eleventh imams of Twelver Shi'ism are believed to be buried, along with the mother and aunt of the twelfth imam, al-Mahdi (also known as the "Hidden Imam"), who is prophesized to return at the end of time to bring justice back to the world. Most importantly, this second attack was a strike at the heart of Shi'ism and its millenarian sect of the twelve imams. In another sense, the blast was also meant to further inflame sectarian tensions in Iraq at a crucial historical juncture in the formation of the Iraqi government and the stabilization of Iraqi society.

The reaction to the second set of explosions, however, has been a far cry from the sectarian violence that followed the first blast in 2006, which unleashed a surge in Sunni-Shiite attacks. Aside from sporadic attacks on Sunni mosques following the most recent Samarra incident, the current situation in the country remains oddly calm in the face of a possible increase of sectarian bloodshed. Why has the latest attack not given way to further impetus of sectarian conflict, and what are the political implications of this second attack?

The relative calm after the second attack could indicate that a major change in the landscape of both Shiite and Sunni politics has occurred since February 2006. For one thing, Sunni Iraqis, especially the tribal and urban Sunni population of Samarra, who make up the majority of the city and also worship at the al-Askari shrine mosque, are increasingly viewing the Salafi movement as a major threat to the national unity of Iraq. The nationalist fervor of Sunni Iraqis, in the western and central provinces of Iraq, is triggering an increase in dissatisfaction with the Salafi Islamists, who aim to push Iraq closer to all-out sectarian civil war.

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Pertinent Links:

1) Second Samarra Bombing Strengthens Status of Moqtada al-Sadr