October 31, 2009
More Iraqis trying to move beyond sectarian divide
by Liz Sly
Los Angeles Times
Reporting from Baghdad - On the podium of a sweltering hotel ballroom recently, Sunni tribal leader Ahmed abu Risha stood alongside Interior Minister Jawad Bolani, a Shiite. Next to Bolani was a prominent Sunni religious leader, who stood beside a well-known Shiite human rights campaigner.
So it went, as Sunni and Shiite Muslims lined up together to announce the birth of a new political movement, the Iraqi Unity Alliance, which will run in elections planned for January on a platform of, yes, unity.
Periodically, a tribesman in the audience stood up and shouted slogans in support of the alliance's theme. "Salute Iraq!" he cried, to murmurs of approval from the crowd. "God protect Iraq!"
As the election season gets underway, a new sense of nationalism is emerging to challenge the raw sectarianism that plunged Iraq into conflict a few years ago. Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, a Shiite, has led the way by recasting himself as a secularist and launching his State of Law coalition, which has reached out to Sunnis. But he will face tough competition for the votes of those who want to move past identity politics.
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