The largest Shi'ite protest yet took place in Baghdad today.
Up to 10,000 people gathered in front of a Sunni Muslim mosque in Baghdad's northern district of Azimiyah, then marched across a bridge on the Tigris River to the nearby Kadhamiya quarter, home to one of the holiest Shiite shrines in Iraq.
It appeared to be the largest protest against the U.S. occupation since the war ended.
"What we are calling for is an interim government that represents all segments of Iraqi society," said Ali Salman, an activist
Why is this good?
Well, first, this wouldn't have happened with Hussein in charge; the Shi'a's would never been allowed to assemble and march, and any who dared try would be dead.
Or worse.
But there's more good news.
The noisy but peaceful protest appeared to be well-organized. Organizers sprayed participants with water to cool them off and formed human chains around the crowd to ensure that the marchers stayed in line and no violence occurred.At one point, the crowd swelled to about 10,000 people, but many participants soon wandered off, and were replaced by fresh batches of demonstrators. At the end of the march, about 5,000 gathered near the shrine of Musa al-Kazim, a much revered 9th-century Shiite saint.
A peaceful demonstration, urging the formation of a broad based, inclusive government, orchestrated by the majority religious group. That's freedom in action, folks, and democracy beginning to flourish.
Yes, there's still grave risks ahead. There are a million ways that things could go wrong. But changing from riots where people are shooting to peaceful demonstrations is one heck of a step in the right direction.
Posted by Rich at May 19, 2003 2:06 PM | TrackBack