"Death to America!" Echoes Through the Streets of Baghdad

I'm sure Bush and the Neocons never expected to see their "liberation" of Iraq result in the ominous words "Death to America!" chanted in the streets of Baghdad. But it was predictible from the start based on the facts of the Shiite majority strongly aligned with Iran. How could they miss this? Truly here, placed before us in the media for all to see, is the political manifestation of the failure of the Bush Doctrine.
Livid Iraq Protesters Tell U.S. to Get Out

Chanting "Death to America!" and burning effigies of President Bush and Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Iraqis flooded central Baghdad on Saturday in what police called the largest anti-American protest since the fall of Baghdad exactly two years ago. The peaceful demonstration by followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr underscored the United States' accomplishments and its failures since the end of the war. Once staunch supporters of the U.S. invasion to oust the dictator who ruthlessly suppressed them, many Shiite Arabs in Iraq have grown so frustrated by the lingering military occupation, with its checkpoints, raids and use of force, that they took to the streets to demand a deadline for the withdrawal of troops.

I question that the Shiites were staunch supporters of the invasion. If they were, they would have come to the streets and welcomed the troops, even volunteered to help. They didn't. They remembered that after the last invasion of Iraq in 1991, the Shiites resisted Sadaam's attempt to retake control of southern Iraq expecting support from the US. The support never came and hundreds of thousands were killed.
On the other hand, this huge orderly protest, the largest since 1958, with no insurgents obvious suggests some real progress towards an indigenous democratic process. Iraqi Christians were present with signs saying, "We support the call of Sayyid Muqtada for national unity." The Association of Muslim Scholars brought out thousands of Sunnis in Ramadi in a parallel protest that supports the message of American withdrawl, but continued isolation of the Sunni's from the majority process.
Informed Comment has more:

...the crowds in downtown Baghdad protesting the US troop presence in the country may have been as large as 300,000. If it were even half that, these would be the largest popular demonstrations in Iraq since 1958! To any extent that they show popular sentiment shifting in Shiite areas to Muqtada al-Sadr's position on the American presence, they would indicate that he is winning politically even though the US defeated his militia militarily. Big demonstrations were also held in Ramadi and in Najaf. In Baghad, Shaikh Mu'ayyad al-Khazraji, a Sadr aide, said that the demonstrations would continue, to pressure the parliament to demand a US withdrawal.

Al-Hayat reports that Muqtada urged his followers not to bear arms and were not to reply with gunfire if they were shot at by the Americans, saying that God would be responsible for defeating the Occupiers." The demonstrators demanded a swift trial of Saddam Hussein, a timetable for US withdrawal, the release of Iraqis detained by the US, and an end to the marginalization of the opposition. The demonstrators carried effigies of Saddam Hussein, President Bush and UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, each labeled "International Terrorist." Ash-Sharq al-Awsat says that the crowds also demanded an end to torture in Iraqi prisons.
[...]
In a sermon read for him, Muqtada accused the United States of double standards-- allowing Israel to have the bomb but bothering Muslim powers who have a nuclear program.

The demonstration's magnitude appears to have convinced prime minister designate, Ibrahim Jaafari of the Dawa Party, to begin speaking once again of a timetable for the withdrawal of foreign troops.

Muqtada Sadr, a firebrand cleric with close ties to Iran, who is credited with organizing this protest, points the double standard of the US for allowing Israel to have nuclear weapons. This is an ominous development indeed. It shows both Iran's pervasive influence in Iraq, its continuing interest in going nuclear and the popular interest in nuclear weapons in the Middle East.
Not only has the US policy replaced Afghanistan with Iraq as a training ground for jihadis, they've provided them with outstanding experience fighting a modern army, they've strengthened Iran's influence in the Middle East, and gave them a strong case to develop nuclear weapons and given many other nations worried about the dominance of America in their neighborhood reasons to look at the nuclear options as well. The invasion of Iraq may well play out as the biggest mistake in foreign policy in this century, setting a tone for another generation of jihadis focused on attacking America and Britain.
Thank you Bush and the Neocons!


Complete Article
latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-iraq10apr10,0,1677779.story?coll=la-home-world
THE CONFLICT IN IRAQ
Livid Iraq Protesters Tell U.S. to Get Out
Tens of thousands mass peacefully in the square where Hussein's statue was toppled two years ago. They also heap scorn on the ex-dictator.
By Edmund Sanders
Times Staff Writer
April 10, 2005
BAGHDAD — Chanting "Death to America!" and burning effigies of President Bush and Saddam Hussein, tens of thousands of Iraqis flooded central Baghdad on Saturday in what police called the largest anti-American protest since the fall of Baghdad exactly two years ago.
The peaceful demonstration by followers of Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada Sadr underscored the United States' accomplishments and its failures since the end of the war.
Once staunch supporters of the U.S. invasion to oust the dictator who ruthlessly suppressed them, many Shiite Arabs in Iraq have grown so frustrated by the lingering military occupation, with its checkpoints, raids and use of force, that they took to the streets to demand a deadline for the withdrawal of troops.
At the same time, the fact that so many protesters were able to gather and voice their opinions without bloodshed or insurgent attacks suggests Iraq is making progress toward establishing a democratic system and creating a strong security force.
"This is the first manifestation of freedom in Iraq," said Lt. Ali Muhsin of the Iraqi national guard, raising his voice to be heard over the din. "We have never witnessed such a thing before. In the old days, people would only have been able to do this if they were hailing Saddam. Now they are protesting for their rights."
Carrying banners that read "Go Out" and "Leave Our Country," marchers hit the streets early Saturday, blocking roads and causing traffic jams around the capital. Most of the protesters came from the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, but busloads arrived from Kut, Amarah, Baqubah and other cities. Some estimates put the number of protesters at 300,000.
By 11 a.m., the massive but orderly demonstration assembled in Firdos Square, where on April 9, 2003, several hundred Iraqis — with the help of U.S. forces — toppled Hussein's statue in a now-famous gesture.
"The American people need to know that they can't suppress us anymore, even with all their strength and power," said Mohammed Salih Khalaf, a 54-year-old day laborer from Sadr City.
Raising fists and shouting in unison, protesters chanted, "No, no to America! No, no to occupation!" Many waved Iraqi flags and carried pictures of Sadr and his revered father, Mohammed Sadeq Sadr, who was assassinated during Hussein's rule. One protester dragged a picture of Hussein through the gutter. A few Iraqi police officers observing the scene raised their own fists in unity.
Munaf Abbas, 25, a chemical engineer from the southern city of Amarah, blamed the presence of U.S. troops for rising violence in Iraq.
"America is the mother of terrorism," he said. "All the explosions are happening because they are here."
U.S. officials have said they hope to withdraw troops soon but are reluctant to set a timetable, which they say would depend on the ability of Iraq's security forces to keep the peace.
Members of Iraq's newly elected government plan to raise the issue in the National Assembly, which meets again today.
Despite the anti-American slogans, some in the crowd expressed support for the U.S. and ambivalence about the occupation.
"I came here today to mark the fall of the tyrant Saddam and to call for his execution," said Mohammed Abdul Hussein, 42, an anesthesiologist now working as a salesman. "We deeply thank all the people, including the Americans, who helped us get rid of him."
Nadhum Jaffer, 31, an unemployed surveyor, worried that a U.S. withdrawal would leave Iraq vulnerable to sectarian violence and foreign interference.
"If the Americans left immediately, everything would be a mess," Jaffer said.
But Fatah Sheik, one of about two dozen Assembly members who support Muqtada Sadr and participated in Saturday's demonstration, said, "Today's protest proves that Iraqis are able to maintain security by themselves, without an American presence."
U.S. troops kept a low profile, leaving oversight to several hundred Iraqi police and national guard members. With the exception of a military unit that protects the Palestine and Ishtar hotel complex, U.S. soldiers and tanks remained out of view, watching through binoculars from rooftops and helicopters.
Several times during the protest, thousands of marchers stopped in front of the hotels, raising their fists and directing chants at the soldiers in the complex.
At times, the demonstration appeared aimed directly at a U.S. audience. Scores of banners were printed in English. A statement by Sadr, also in English, was read over a loudspeaker.
U.S. military officials praised the performance of the Iraqi security forces.
"That you were able to see a group of people exercising their right to free speech is all part of what we're here for," said Lt. Col. Steven Boylon, a military spokesman.
For Sadr, a thirtysomething cleric who is wildly popular among disenfranchised young men, the demonstration was an opportunity to remind U.S. and Iraqi officials of his political clout. Sadr loyalists are negotiating for a stronger role in the new government, which is scheduled to be announced within the next two weeks.
"He feels it's time to show up again and remind people that he's there," said Hassan Bazzaz, a political science professor at Baghdad University. "He's saying: 'Here I am. I want to have my share.' "
Sadr's Al Mahdi militia battled U.S. troops in several bloody clashes last year in the holy city of Najaf and in Sadr City, which is named for his father. After U.S. officials shuttered Sadr's newspaper last spring, the cleric launched a string of protests that tapped into anti-American sentiment nationwide and fueled a series of rebellions throughout southern Iraq.
In the summer, he agreed to disarm the militia, but there have been reports that he is trying to reorganize it.
Hundreds of former militia members, who showed up for Saturday's protest in yellow shirts but without weapons, helped provide security and crowd control.
Many said they would not hesitate to resume fighting if Sadr called.
"With just one word" from the cleric, said Qasim Mohammed, 36, of Sadr City, "we are ready to sacrifice our souls."
Copyright 2005 Los Angeles Times