Has Iraq always been so divided between Sunnis and Shi’ites?
It should be noted that modern Iraq has a long history of secularism and relatively cordial relations between the main Arab religious division (the Kurds have been discriminated against, often violently, for decades) of Shi’ite and Sunni. But the cumulative effects of sanctions-driven shredding of the social contract, and the occupation-caused crisis of violence and impoverishment, appear to be causing many Iraqis to claim their religious affiliation as a replacement for national identity. For many, the appeal of the religious- and sectarian-based parties lies less in the specifics of their sometimes extreme theology, and more in their ability to provide at least a modicum of schooling, health care, employment, and social welfare that the U.S. occupation has so often promised yet consistently failed to provide. (Similar to the appeal of Hamas in the poverty-wracked Gaza Strip.) So the elections, if held, may in fact show a higher proportion of popular support for the various religious-
