Jun 20, 2014

The shock in the wake of the outbreak of violent acts in Iraq and the fall of entire cities under the grip of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), as well as the emergence of different militant groups taking over territories in various cities, have upset the Iraqi scene. Perhaps the most dangerous part is the confusion that has accompanied the religious discourse of the two main sects in Iraq, the Sunnis and Shiites.

A war of fatwas and sermons has filled the Sunni and Shiite streets, mostly focusing on sectarian mobilization led by extremist clerics who have become part of the problem, instead of contributing to the solution.

Extremist Sunni clerics went as far as justifying the stance of militants and considering what is happening in Iraq a “popular revolution,” while completely disregarding the series of heinous crimes that were committed in the past few days and the marked presence of the terrorist ISIS organization on the ground.

As always, the pro-Muslim Brotherhood cleric Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who lives in Qatar, supported this extremist current with his radical stance.

On the other hand, some extremist Shiite clerics assumed that the incidents constituted a Sunni wave to oppress Shiites, and they incited Shiites against Sunnis and generalized the ISIS name to include all Sunnis of Iraq.