The destruction of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra has brought Iraq to the brink of civil war. Hundreds of lives have been lost in sectarian violence following the bombing of the Shiite house of worship. The divisions in the country have never been clearer. There is hope, however, that the sheer revulsion that followed this attack may wake Iraqis to the stakes involved. Paradoxically, the very reality of civil war may help prevent one.
Two of the most revered imams (or leaders) in the Shiite branch of the Islamic faith are entombed in the al-Hadhrah al-Askariya mosque, sometimes called the Golden Mosque in reference to the distinctive golden dome atop the building. In the week before last, still unidentified terrorists reduced it to rubble in a move that was designed to infuriate and humiliate the Shiite majority in Iraq and upset others around the world.
It worked. Hundreds of Iraqis have been killed in a bloody downward spiral of action and reaction that has occurred around the country. There have been car bombs, shootings and arson attacks. In one especially gruesome instance, 47 people were pulled off buses as they returned from a protest and were shot in the head. Funerals for victims have been popular targets for retribution and revenge.