tagged w/ Shia
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Chemical Ali aka Comical Ali has been handed a second death sentence for his part in crushing a Shia uprising in 1991.Chemical Ali aka Comical Ali has been handed a second death sentence for his part in... more
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In 680 AD at Karbala, in deserts of Iraq, Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Husayn was killed – butchered alongside almost all of his family. Their heads were put on stakes and delivered to the evil tyrant, Yazid. Today many Iranians believe there is a new Yazid in the world. His name is George Bush.
Two hundred years later, at Samarra, also in modern-day Iraq, a six year old boy attends the funeral of his father, and goes into hiding. Shi’a Muslims believe that he is still in hiding, waiting to return at the end of the world. They call him the Hidden Imam.
In the summer of 2006, on the eve of the birthday of the Hidden Imam, a bus full of pilgrims left Tehran in Iran on the dangerous journey to Karbala in Iraq. Once Upon a Time in Iran follows this breath-taking journey – a spiritual and emotional roller-coaster - to reveal how these two ancient crimes - a massacre and the disappearance of a little boy – became the founding legends of Shi’a Islam and still shape the dangerous world of the Middle – East today.
Once Upon a Time in Iran is a film about the power of stories. Behind the headlines that read ‘The Axis of Evil’ and ‘The New Hitler’, the pilgrims reveal the real story of the Iranian Nuclear Crisis: another text that reads Husayn and the Hidden Imam. And a more forbidding truth, that in Karbala, Iranians believe they already have a secret weapon far more powerful than the Atom Bomb.
Producer: Rebecca Dobbs
Director: Kevin SimIn 680 AD at Karbala, in deserts of Iraq, Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Husayn was... more
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Just goes to show why we haven't won the war yet.
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FOR the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: “Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?”
A “gotcha” question? Perhaps. But if knowing your enemy is the most basic rule of war, I don’t think it’s out of bounds. And as I quickly explain to my subjects, I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each want?
After all, wouldn’t British counterterrorism officials responsible for Northern Ireland know the difference between Catholics and Protestants? In a remotely similar but far more lethal vein, the 1,400-year Sunni-Shiite rivalry is playing out in the streets of Baghdad, raising the specter of a breakup of Iraq into antagonistic states, one backed by Shiite Iran and the other by Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states.
A complete collapse in Iraq could provide a haven for Al Qaeda operatives within striking distance of Israel, even Europe. And the nature of the threat from Iran, a potential nuclear power with protégés in the Gulf states, northern Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, is entirely different from that of Al Qaeda. It seems silly to have to argue that officials responsible for counterterrorism should be able to recognize opportunities for pitting these rivals against each other.
But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?
My curiosity about our policymakers’ grasp of Islam’s two major branches was piqued in 2005, when Jon Stewart and other TV comedians made hash out of depositions, taken in a whistleblower case, in which top F.B.I. officials drew blanks when asked basic questions about Islam. One of the bemused officials was Gary Bald, then the bureau’s counterterrorism chief. Such expertise, Mr. Bald maintained, wasn’t as important as being a good manager.
A few months later, I asked the F.B.I.’s spokesman, John Miller, about Mr. Bald’s comments. “A leader needs to drive the organization forward,” Mr. Miller told me. “If he is the executive in a counterterrorism operation in the post-9/11 world, he does not need to memorize the collected statements of Osama bin Laden, or be able to read Urdu to be effective. ... Playing ‘Islamic Trivial Pursuit’ was a cheap shot for the lawyers and a cheaper shot for the journalist. It’s just a gimmick.”Just goes to show why we haven't won the war yet.... more
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Is the U.S. already at war with Iran? In "America's Secret War in Iran," Vanguard correspondent Mariana van Zeller travels to the Iraq-Iran border to investigate claims that the United States is supporting militant groups that are attacking Iran. In the rugged Qandil mountains, she meets with up with anti-Iranian guerillas who have been launching deadly raids against the Islamic Republic. A good percentage of the fighters are women, and Mariana accompanies a small group of them through what many believe has become the frontline of the U.S.'s secret war with Iran.Is the U.S. already at war with Iran? In "America's Secret War in... more
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Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with Iraqi families struggling to survive the sectarian violence.
Iraq, Baghdad/Saediya/Adhamiya - The sectarian conflict in Iraq was one of the main problems that has continued to limit stability and security in certain Iraqi provinces. Many people were forced to sell their house and flee to other neighborhoods or to leave Iraq entirely. In other cases they were not able to sell any of their property such as cars or furniture, and had to flee immediately.
According to the International Herald Tribune, the highest number of casualties due to violence was in September 2006 when approximately 2600 Iraqis were killed. According to icasualites.org, more than 3300 civilians were killed in this period. At the end of 2006 the Iraqi Minister of Health shocked the world by announcing that 150,000 Iraqis had been killed during the war by October 2006, more than three times previous accepted estimates.
Many of the casualties were because of the actions of Al-Qaeda and other Sunni militias or insurgents. On the other hand Shia militias such as the Badr Brigade and others were taking different techniques, for example kidnapping and assassinating Iraqis, and both sides created a great number of refugees and internally-displaced families.
Sunni neighborhoods like Adhamiya in Baghdad found themselves hosting Sunni refugees who fled death threats from Shia Areas such as Khalis, Karbala, Najaf, and others. The internally displaced families were desperate to find shelter, some forced to live in tents in camps inside Adhamiya. Some local residents of the neighborhoods donated items like heaters, blankets, and food to help those families. Some families who were lucky were able to make a deal with a Shi’a family who was displaced form Adhamiya, and thereby find a home to shelter them during the worst violence.
Shia areas like Sadr City have hosted Shia refugees from Sunni conflict zones like Abu Ghraib, Anbar province, and Falluja specifically. The Sadr movement has provided some of the help for these refugees, like food, blankets, and helping them by sheltering them in properties belonging to the Sadr Movement. Other families in Sadr City decided to host some of the families in their own homes.
The common rumors in Baghdad are that the Badr Brigade is kidnapping Iraqi Sunnis, and the Mahdi Army is kidnapping Sunni Iraqi as well. On the Shia side the common belief is that Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Army’s main purpose is the removal of all Shia from Iraq and to cut any kind of connection with Iran, and the Iraqi citizens find themselves confused whom to believe, the Iraqi government or a religious militia?
Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with some of those Iraqi who are suffering all those problems every day.
Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with Iraqi families struggling to survive the... more
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he National Theater may have opened its doors again in Iraq but that not is terribly important next to the fact that much of the country is still without electricity. Coverage of the war in Iraq here has focused almost obsessively on the surge and its success.
No one writing in English today understands Iraqi politics better than Patrick Cockburn, the author of The Occupation and Muqtada al-Sadr and the Battle for the Future of Iraq. And he says that the situation is a little better than it was a few years ago but that almost anything is better than mass slaughter. What the United States has never accepted and has been slow to learn is that the occupation has been unpopular since the invasion of 2003.
In Baghdad last weekend, tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets to oppose a renewal of the Status of Forces Agreement, which would extend the US presence in Iraq for three more years until the end of 2012. For members of parliament the stakes are high. Provincial and national elections will be held next year and the US presence is highly unpopular in most of the country, excluding perhaps the Kurdish north.
The demonstration also clearly shows that Al-Sadr remains an enormously powerful figure in Iraq capable of mobilizing thousands of Iraqi people in opposition to the US occupation. A statement from Sadr read at the rally called on parliament to vote down the pact: “I reject and condemn the continuation of the presence of the occupation force, and its bases on our beloved land,” the letter said. Sadr called the pact “shameful for Iraq.”
Cockburn discusses the recent protests in Baghdad, the rise of al-Sadr, and why Americans are still misreading Iraq. he National Theater may have opened its doors again in Iraq but that not is terribly... more
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GRITtv
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Coverage of Iraq that we’ve seen here over the past six months has been all about the surge. But in Baghdad over the weekend there was a different kind of surge. Tens of thousands of protesters marched through the streets to oppose a renewal of the Status of Forces Agreement, which would extend the US presence in Iraq for three more years until the end of 2012. For members of parliament the stakes are high. Provincial and national elections will be held next year and the US presence is highly unpopular throughout the country, excluding perhaps the Kurdish north.
The demonstration also clearly shows that Muqtada al-Sadr remains an enormously powerful figure in Iraq capable of mobilizing thousands of Iraqi people in opposition to the US occupation. A statement from al-Sadr read at the rally called on parliament to vote down the pact: “I reject and condemn the continuation of the presence of the occupation force, and its bases on our beloved land,” the letter said. Sadr called the pact “shameful for Iraq.”
No one writing in English today understands Iraqi politics better than Patrick Cockburn, the author of two recent books on Iraq: The Occupation and Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival, and the Struggle for Iraq. He joins us today, October 21, to discuss the recent protests, the rise of al-Sadr, and if Americans are still misreading Iraq.
*Post your comments and questions at www.grittv.org.Coverage of Iraq that we’ve seen here over the past six months has been all... more
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GRITtv
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It all begins on the 18th day of the holy month of Shaban, when Sehwan Sharif, a remote town in rural Sindh is set ablaze with mystery and illusion…
The course of discovery into the world of Sufism, the three day festival commemorating the death anniversary of one of its most celebrated sons, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, exhibits how tradition can sometimes override all sense and sensibility and take on a form of its own within the sub-conscious mind.
More in this report...It all begins on the 18th day of the holy month of Shaban, when Sehwan Sharif, a... more
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Three bomb attacks in quick succession have killed at least 52 people in Baghdad as Shia pilgrims enter the Iraqi capital for a major religious event, police say.
Initial reports showed all three explosions on Monday were caused by female suicide bombers, and women and children were among the dead, security and hospital officials said.
At least a million people are expected to visit the Kadhimiya shrine in northwestern Baghdad for the pilgrimage, which climaxes on Tuesday.
Iraqi security forces have increased security in the area.
It was unclear if the victims of the blasts were pilgrims, but the explosions took place near the Karrada district in central Baghdad, an area many pilgrims would pass through on their way to the shrine.Three bomb attacks in quick succession have killed at least 52 people in Baghdad as... more
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A video I stumbled across from December of 2006.
Fair warning, it is relatively graphic.
I indeed know this is old news, but I also know this didn't/ doesn't get anywhere near sufficient coverage here in the US.
"The torture and slaughter of Iraqi civilians is reaching unprecedented heights with estimates of up to 655,000 dead.
"Night after night death squads rampage through Iraq's main cities. In Baghdad, up to a hundred bodies a day are dumped on the streets. Often they've been tortured with electric drills. Yet those doing the killing have little to do with al Qaeda or Sunni insurgents.
"The majority of the killings are carried out by Shia death squads who want to turn Iraq into a Shia state aligned to Iran.
"This shocking film investigates the links between the death squads and high-ranking Shia politicians. It reveals how the Shia militia that these politicians control have systematically infiltrated and taken over police units and even entire government ministries. It investigates how these units are closely linked to the death squads, indeed they often are the death squads. And the killers act with impunity -- there's little investigation into their activities."A video I stumbled across from December of 2006.
Fair warning, it is relatively... more
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Control of several villages loyal to Lebanon's pro-government Druze leader Walid Jumblatt has been handed to the army after an attack by Hezbollah.
The group's fighters used heavy weapons and small arms to attack the mountain settlements south-east of Beirut.
A truce was called after the Druze capitulated to avoid bloodshed, a BBC correspondent reports.
It follows four days of fighting in which Hezbollah stormed west Beirut, raising fears of a return to civil war.
About 40 people have died in total in the clashes, which pitch the Syrian-backed Shia Islamist movement Hezbollah and its allies against the governing Western-backed Sunni, Christian and Druze alliance.
Beirut was quiet on Sunday, after control of areas seized by Hezbollah was handed to the Lebanese army, but clashes took place overnight in Lebanon's second city, Tripoli.
Credit: BBCControl of several villages loyal to Lebanon's pro-government Druze leader Walid... more
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kushan
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Iraqi government figures released this week showed that violent civilian deaths in Iraq climbed to their highest level since mid-2007.
A total of 923 civilians died violently in March, and 1,358 were wounded making it the deadliest month since August 2007. The increase in casualties was caused primarily by the surge in fighting between Iraq security forces and Mehdi Army militia fighters.
The figure is still down on last year, when 1,861 civilians died violently in the same month.
The southern city of Basra, where most of last weeks fighting took place, remained relatively calm today for the second day after the leader of Iraq's Mahdi Army Shia militia called for a ceasefire on Sunday.
Iraqi government figures released this week showed that violent civilian deaths in... more
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ish757
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At least 56 are dead after a suicide bomber detonated their weapon at a busy resting station for Shia muslims making a pilgrimage to Karbala for a festival.
The attack comes after a period in which violence had dropped following United States surge in troops. Despite the attacks, millions of people are expected to turn out to mark the festival which marks the end of the 40 days of mourning for the Prophet Mohammed's grandson, Imam Hussein, who was killed along with his family in 681, by the Muslim ruler of Arabia, Yazid.At least 56 are dead after a suicide bomber detonated their weapon at a busy resting... more
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It's reported that there have been at least another 15 killed in the continued violence in the southern Iraq cities of Nasiriya and Basra. The unrest in Iraq has been well documented this week, as well as it's coincidence with the Shia holy festival of Ashura, which seems to have become an easy 'scapegoat' to place the blame on.
Today's violence began after an alleged 'targetted' attack was launched against the Iraqi police and fellow Shia. This new attack comes after a turbulent week of violence that will seemingly quash any of the beliefs that things in Iraq are on the up.
It's reported that there have been at least another 15 killed in the continued... more
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News reports emerged earlier today that a suicide bomber has attacked a mosque 40 miles north of Baghdad. The initial police reports are still saying that the amount killed is estimated to be at least eight, with another 15 injured.
Worshippers had congregated at the Baquba mosque to celebrate a Shia holy festival, police Lieutenant-Colonel Najim al-Soumaidaie explained that the bomber had waited until the ceremony had finished to detonate the bomb, presumably trying to cause as much 'destruction' as possible.
This bombing comes only a day after a woman blew herself up near a Shia mosque in Diyala province, killing 11 people. News reports emerged earlier today that a suicide bomber has attacked a mosque 40... more
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Phyllis Bennis on the U.S. Senate resolution on the partitioning of Iraq, calls Joe Biden, "the Julius Caesar of the Senate." It's not a compliment.
Phyllis Bennis on the U.S. Senate resolution on the partitioning of Iraq, calls Joe... more
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