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Friday, May 18, 2007
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/03/03/sunni-family-killed-for-reconciliation-meeting-with-shiites/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhosted.ap.org%2Fdynamic%2Fstories%2FI%2FIRAQ%3FSITE%3DAP%26SECTION%3DHOME%26TEMPLATE&frame=true
This is yet another article detailing the violence in Iraq where bullets are shot almost everyday and roadside bombs spring up from time to time.
This killing would have been like any other if not for the reason the victims were chosen. The six Sunni victims had attended a reconciliation conference with Shiites; soon after, they received death threats. If it had been a Shiite group which carried out the killing, it would have been just another case of sectarian violence; still a condemnable act, but an expected one. This time the killers were Sunnis.Having heard no other news of Iraq other than reports of bloodshed, it is easy to forget that most Iraqis just want peace. The impression I got from the news was that that all Sunnis hated Shiites and vice versa. After reading this article I realized that it is the only the Sunni extremists, not the whole community, who are trying to topple the Shiite-led government.While relieved that it is only a few who are causing chaos, I now know of the divide that exists within the Sunni community, and it is this divide that the possibility of peace is being pushed into. How can there be peace between Sunnis and Shiites if there isn’t even peace within their own communities? While there are some who actively try to bridge the rift, there are some who will kill to keep the wound open. They want peace, but it seems they cannot agree on how to achieve it.There is a quote from the movie Hotel Rwanda. A camera-man, after shooting scenes of the Tutsi massacre, says: “I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners.”While I fell that I am affected by the cold-blooded killing and insensitive actions in some way, I will soon shove it to the back of my mind and forget it. It will be just another snippet of information to be stored away so that I may fill my head with more important things, like the latest games or movies to be played and watched.
This is yet another article detailing the violence in Iraq where bullets are shot almost everyday and roadside bombs spring up from time to time.
This killing would have been like any other if not for the reason the victims were chosen. The six Sunni victims had attended a reconciliation conference with Shiites; soon after, they received death threats. If it had been a Shiite group which carried out the killing, it would have been just another case of sectarian violence; still a condemnable act, but an expected one. This time the killers were Sunnis.Having heard no other news of Iraq other than reports of bloodshed, it is easy to forget that most Iraqis just want peace. The impression I got from the news was that that all Sunnis hated Shiites and vice versa. After reading this article I realized that it is the only the Sunni extremists, not the whole community, who are trying to topple the Shiite-led government.While relieved that it is only a few who are causing chaos, I now know of the divide that exists within the Sunni community, and it is this divide that the possibility of peace is being pushed into. How can there be peace between Sunnis and Shiites if there isn’t even peace within their own communities? While there are some who actively try to bridge the rift, there are some who will kill to keep the wound open. They want peace, but it seems they cannot agree on how to achieve it.There is a quote from the movie Hotel Rwanda. A camera-man, after shooting scenes of the Tutsi massacre, says: “I think if people see this footage, they'll say Oh, my God, that's horrible. And then they'll go on eating their dinners.”While I fell that I am affected by the cold-blooded killing and insensitive actions in some way, I will soon shove it to the back of my mind and forget it. It will be just another snippet of information to be stored away so that I may fill my head with more important things, like the latest games or movies to be played and watched.
LIVING.out.of.REALITY;
6:29 AM
