Iraq is falling apart. What can be done to avoid partition, asks Ibrahim Nafie As efforts continue to contain sectarian strife in Iraq and banish the spectre of a gruesome civil war, suicide bombers attacked Buratha Mosque in northern Baghdad, killing 79 Shia worshippers and wounding many more. The Association of Muslim Scholars immediately denounced the "criminal operation", blaming the "occupation forces" and the Iraqi government for the deteriorating security situation. The Office of Sunni Endowments issued a statement repudiating "the cowardly and criminal act" and calling on the Iraqi people "to stand together and confront those who want to dismember the country and foment sectarian strife". The Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, led by Abdul-Aziz Al-Hakim, accused "zealots and Saddam's lackeys" of committing the crime, calling on security services to stay alert and "purge their ranks of those who consort with criminals". The bombings that took place in the Buratha Mosque last Friday were an evil act, and stand as testimony to the horrors Iraq faces. Everyone has condemned the crime, as they have condemned similar attacks against innocent civilians. Such criminal acts provide ample ammunition to the enemies of Islam and to those who want to brand all Muslims as terrorists. Furthermore, such acts sully the image of the Iraqi resistance and tarnish the reputation of those who strive for the liberation of Iraq and the departure of occupation forces. The prospect of civil war, now a definite possibility, simply gives the occupiers a pretext to stay in Iraq. But let's not forget that the ongoing strife in Iraq is a consequence of the invasion. Had it not been for the invasion, pursued by the US and the UK without an international mandate, the current turmoil could have been averted. The invasion has given terrorists a pretext to commit crimes in Iraq and turned the country into a haven for terrorists. Last Sunday was the third anniversary of Baghdad's fall. It was the day on which Saddam and hundreds of his officials disappeared from public view, leaving Iraq to a grim fate. Looting and disorder followed. Chaos and mayhem became the order of the day.. The occupation forces destroyed what remained of Iraq's institutions while promising to rebuild the country from scratch. The occupiers told the world that a new era was dawning in which Iraqis would enjoy freedom, democracy and human rights. The exact opposite has happened and the Iraqi people have found themselves subject to new forms of repression and torture. How can we even begin to talk of democracy in a country that is disintegrating by the day, fractured by sectarianism and haunted by partition? Iraq is on the verge of a devastating civil war, of sectarian strife from which no one will emerge victorious and which may well end in partition. The Iraqis suffered for long under Saddam, and they are no better off today. One ordeal has been replaced by another. Iraq was despotic under Saddam. Now it is falling apart. Interestingly enough, after three years of denial, US officials are beginning to admit their errors. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and others, including President Bush, have made public noises to this effect. There is much that needs to be done to extricate Iraq from its current ordeal, and admitting the errors that led it to its current plight is a good way to start.
