Bin Laden and Sistani Face Off in Iraq

Confused about why Sunni Muslims despise the Shi'ites? You are not alone. Few Americans really understand the complex web of dissonance at work in Iraq. As US and Iraqi forces prepare for what promises to be a bloody election, it is good to understand the various factions at work there. The following primer, as reported by Memri, provides an excellent primer:

In a video aired on Al-Jazeera TV,in what appears to be a response to al-Sistani, Osama bin Laden warned against the participation in elections: "Anyone who participates in these elections … has committed apostasy against Allah." He also endorsed the killing of security people in Allah's name: "Personnel of the [Iraqi] military, security apparatus, and national guard … their blood is permitted. They are apostates whose deaths should not be prayed over." [1] In the same video, he designated the Jordanian terrorist AbuMus'ab al-Zarqawi as "Amir," or head, of the Al-Qa'ida organization in Iraq and, as such, the chief enforcer of bin Laden's decree. Get the rest here.