Al-Hashimi and Sectarian Strife

by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem

Mr. Tariq al-Hashimi keeps repeating, in his statements and media appearances, the claim that his problem is part of a war against the Sunnis in Iraq, attributing the policies being adopted in Iraq by Maliki to a Shia desire to marginalize the Sunnis. He is playing a deadly sectarian tune, and he does not appear inclined toward calming things down, but rather toward escalation.

His accusations may well be true, but Maliki came to power through democratic elections that Iraqis — al-Hashimi among them — cooperated with the Americans to hold. Is democracy only good when it aligns with what we want, and unacceptable when it does not serve our interests? Mr. al-Hashimi accepted the political arrangement that took shape in Iraq, and he is part of the existing order.

What matters is that Islamic sects have historically done harm to Islam and Muslims and torn apart their unity, sparked wars, and now loom over us again in this era to bring history back to what it once was. There are foolish fanatics among both Sunnis and Shia who insist on re-enacting the battles of the Camel, Siffin, and Karbala, and there are politicians who try to exploit this foolish fanaticism. Islam is one, yet the sects and those who follow their lead insist on tearing our ranks apart in the name of religion.

…al-Hashimi, and it does not deserve sectarian mobilization. It would be easy for al-Hashimi to return to Baghdad, stand trial before the court, and prove his innocence of the charges leveled against him. There is no room for fraud, because his trial would take place under worldwide media scrutiny, and Maliki’s government would not dare tamper with the court or the evidence. At that point, al-Hashimi would corner Maliki and his government, and would prove to the world that it is Maliki who is undermining Iraq’s security and unity. Sectarian mobilization is a calamity for the nation as a whole, not just for Iraq, and proving one’s innocence helps establish the truth and let it prevail over destructive propaganda.

For this reason, I appeal to al-Hashimi to stop making statements whose negative effects will not fall on him alone, but on all of us across the Arab and Muslim countries. The nation does not need sectarian strife in order to get one man out of his predicament.

Source: Translated from the original Arabic, “الهاشمي والفتنة الطائفية” by Dr. Abdul-Sattar Kassem.