WHO KNEW THEY'D TURN THE TABLES?:

Sunni imam calls for unity in Iraq (, November 26, 2005)

"The targeting of innocent civilians yesterday cannot be accepted," sheik Murad al-Oujaili told the congregation at the 14th of Ramadan mosque, relating how a witness told him of an infant ripped from his mother's arm and hurled to his death by the force of the blast. [...]

"This thing about Shiites and Sunnis is new to us in Iraq," the sheik told the worshippers, most of them bearded, robed men in their 20s and 30s. "We are all Iraqis and we must stop blaming each other."

His message suggests that many Sunni Arabs, the disaffected minority that forms the backbone of the insurgency, may be growing weary of the increasingly sectarian character of the violence.

Banners condemning the suicide bombing appeared Friday in the main outdoor market, and residents say many people now routinely report suspicious individuals, cars and other objects to security forces.

"These attacks are genocide against the Iraqi people. They have nothing to do with resistance," said Abdel-Ilah Nijm, a 28-year-old house painter.

The part where the Shi'ite majority gets to strike back is new anyway.

Posted by Orrin Judd at November 26, 2005 11:05 AM