Local Reaction to Sunni/Shiite Violence

Post staff writer Pam Constable was online Thursday, March 8, at 3 p.m. ET to discuss her story about how area Sunni and Shiite Muslims are coping with the violence between the two sects in the Middle East.

A transcript follows

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D.C.: Polls repeatedly show that most Americans don't know the difference between Sunnis and Shiites. Do you think this has affected our foreign policy? Hopefully the ones in charge know the difference but you never know....

Pam Constable: I think more and more Americans do know the difference now because of the sectarian strife in Iraq. I would say that issue was not related to the original U.S. invasion of Iraq, but that it does have some bearing on U.S. relations with Iran.

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Washington, D.C.: The Post has done a tremendous disservice to Muslims living in the metro area by giving a voice to Ayaan Hirsi Ali. A lot of what she says about Islam is totally false, and one wouldn't be spared if he/she spread similar lies about Judaism or Christianity. It surprises me that Ms. Ali, a convicted fraud who lied on her immigration application would be granted a visa from the state department, while Dr. Tarik Ramadan, an honest human being who preaches reconciliation among faiths, would be refused. If Ms. Ali gets to stay in the U.S., there are 3 million more illegal aliens who should be eligible to live in the US too. What gives?

Pam Constable: I have not written about Ms. Hirsi. You might want to address your questions to someone who has written about her at The Post. That would be Neely Tucker and Anne Applebaum.

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Washington, D.C.: Is there anyway to transfer the lessons of cooperation of the local community to the Middle East?

Pam Constable: That is an excellent question. I certainly hope so, but I fear the bitterness and bloodshed in the region have taken on a life of their own and will have to die out of exhaustion, over time.

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D.C.: One thing that I think the Muslim community has so far failed to address is the regression in terms of personal freedoms and treatment of women. Every other religion in the world has become more progressive in its social and religious views. Islam at its beginning was at the forefront of innovation, science and discovery. It has now regressed, but leaders of the faith refuse to acknowledge this. Why?

Pam Constable: The issue of women in Islam is a complex one. My own experience and reporting suggests that in many cases, it is a matter of culture and tradition more than of religion that determines how woman are treated in different Muslim societies. This also varies widely from country to country. One can hardly compare the role and rights of women in Turkey, say, to the situation in Saudi Arabia. That said, many Muslim countries do have a more restrictive view of women's roles than non-Muslim ones. I might add that some of the key Muslim ideas about women, such as modesty in dress and behavior, are positive ones, especially when one considers the widespread vulgarity of American and Western entertainment culture regarding women today.

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Arlington, Va.: What would you say is the main cause of this new wave of sectarian violence in the Middle East, given that these sects have coexisted for centuries? Were sectarian tensions there but just suppressed when Iraq was dominated by a Sunni minority?

Pam Constable: I am not an expert on this topic at all, but I would say that many factors have contributed to the recent disruption of sectarian harmony. One, the overthrow of the Saddam regime unleashed long-repressed anger among Shiites who had suffered under his rule. Two, the 1979 Shiite revolution in Iran was a rallying cry to Shiites in general, and it began challenging Sunni dominance in the Muslim world. Lebanon is a different case. It has long been diverse and cosmopolitan. In general I would say the injection of power politics into the region has poisoned the sectarian well in a most tragic way.

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Arlington, Va.: What is it about the Sunni-Shi'ite theological disagreement that sparks such violence around the world? I don't understand how they can get along here but be killing each other over it in the Middle East. Has it become more of an ethnic thing than a religious feud?

Pam Constable: There are many differences between the sects, but they have only led to violence and strife in certain places and times. In general I would say it has happened mostly where there are other factors involved, including economic imbalances, political struggles and foreign interference.

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Washington, D.C.: Why do you think it is that different sects can get along in the U.S. but not in the Middle East?

Pam Constable: Well, this is a highly regulated and orderly society where most differences are settled amicably or legally. In many parts of the world, this is not the case. Also, lower education levels and opportunities often correlate with greater religious emotion and fanaticism. People with little to lose often gravitate to extremes.

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Arlington, Va.: Are the sources you talked to frustrated that most people don't know the difference between Sunni and Shiite? What can/should be done to educate more people about the differences?

Pam Constable: There are many places people can go now to learn more about the differences. If one Googles Sunni and Shiite, one can read for hundreds of hours. And it is a very worthwhile thing to do. Some of the issues are obscure and confusing, but some are rooted in historic grievances that can be understood.

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Philadelphia:'key muslim ideas about women'? You mean, such as women are property? That they're inferior to all males, including young boys? That they exist to serve men? That women need to be protected by men, from other men? Why is it never that men need to stop hurting and abusing women? Please. I'll take western vulgarity over barbarism - and yes, that's a loaded word, and I use it intentionally - any day.

Pam Constable: Actually the one I mentioned was modesty in dress and behavior. There are many other aspects that are much more troubling, but often they are related to cultural practices rather than strict Islamic principles. For example, honor killings.

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Reston, Va.: I think the lack of understanding about the situation between varying sects of Islam is more indicative of a general understanding of religion. Being of Huguenot extraction, it's painfully obvious that differing sects of the same religion are always willing to kill one another. It's less an issue of an unusual instance with Islam and more of an instance of general ignorance by many Americans.

Pam Constable: It is true that there have been many sectarian conflicts in various religions throughout history. The Sunni-Shiite conflict we see now seems especially bloody and bitter, but it is hardly unique.

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washingtonpost.com: Pam Constable had to leave, thanks for the questions.

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