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For Iraq's Sunnis, Conflict Closes In
An empty Sunni house, taken over by the Mahdi Army, stands as a warning. The writings read "Not for sale. Wanted" and "This is vengeance for the other day."
(Photos By Washington Post Staff)
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Why is his father still staying at home?
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Omar paused. "Perhaps the Mahdi Army will come and raid the Sunni homes and kill him."
Seven video compact disc recordings of Sadr's sermons, his stern, bearded visage splashed on every cover, sat on the brown sofa. Farouk's 15-year-old son had bought them the day after the curfew. When he came home, he slipped one of the discs into the VCD player and turned up the volume so all the family's Shiite neighbors could hear.
Omar pointed at them and said, "We have those VCDs for the Mahdi Army not to hurt us."
Inviting the Neighbors Over
Farouk's plan is to flee to Baqubah, the capital of Diyala province, one of the most violent places in Iraq. He said he does not care about the danger. His sect is the majority there. Just as the Shiites turn to the militias for protection, he now views the Sunni Arab insurgents as his family's guardians.
"The mujaheddin will protect us," Farouk said. "We heard they are helping Sunnis who move there with cooking oil, rice, sugar and fuel."
In the interim, he's decided that the best protection is to rekindle his ties to his Shiite neighbors. In recent days, he has invited some of them to have soda or tea inside his house. He hopes they will notice the poster of Imam Ali. He hopes they will vouch for him if the Mahdi Army attacks.
"I tell everyone that my mother is a Shiite," Farouk said. "I am trying to get closer to them. It's about saving my life."
On Sunday, Farouk was still bracing for a Shiite attack. Two days ago, he bought another poster of Imam Ali and other revered Shiite saints for the living room.
