Gulf Shiites Concerned About Iraq Violence

MANAMA, Bahrain — A fleeting smile lit up the stern face of Sheik Abdul-Atheem al-Bahrani when asked if he worried that the sectarian tensions in Iraq would spread to the Gulf. "The good in Iraq overflows, but so do its evils," said the Bahraini Shiite cleric, quoting an old saying.

The spiral of Shiite-Sunni clashes in Iraq unleashed by last month's bombing of a sacred Shiite shrine has nearby Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait on edge. All are Sunni-led countries with large Shiite communities, and they fear a spillover of tensions or even violence.

Shiites in the Gulf talk with pride about their brethern's rise to power in Iraq, the first such advance for Shiites in an Arab country. They hope it will lead to democratic changes in their countries to end discrimination against them.

But they also are concerned that the sectarian strife next door could have the opposite effect: deepen sectarian divisions at home and set off the same kind of violence as Iraq.

"The situation in Iraq ... feeds sectarian feelings on both sides in a negative manner," said Mansoor al-Jamri, a Shiite who is editor-in-chief of the Bahraini Alwasat newspaper.

Those fears go beyond the Arab world. U.S. National Intelligence Director John Negroponte acknowledged at a recent Senate hearing that a civil war in Iraq could lead to a broader conflict in the Middle East, pitting the region's rival Islamic sects against each another.

So far, there has been no reported Sunni-Shiite violence in the six Arab countries of the Gulf, which are all Sunni-ruled. Shiites are a minority in five of the countries, while in Bahrain they make up 70 percent of the 450,000 people.

The Shiite-Sunni split resulted from a dispute over succession after Prophet Muhammad's death in 632.

Shiites in Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have faced _ and continue to face _ discrimination, especially in appointments to senior government jobs, according to the U.S. State Department's annual human rights reports.

The restrictions on the Shiites came after the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, which brought Shiite clerics to power in the region for the first time and raised fears of the spread of Shiite militancy.

But in the past year, Shiites in the three countries say they feel freer to practice their religion, as governments realize they must accommodate Shiites in light of the changes in Iraq.

Sunni and Shiite clerics in the Gulf have become more vocal in calling for moderation and peaceful coexistence. In a first in Saudi Arabia _ whose strict Wahhabi version of Sunni Islam shuns Shiites as heretics _ officials offered condolences to Shiite clergymen over the Samarra bombing.

In Kuwait, the government is making a serious effort to remove negative references to Shiites from the school curriculum and has ordered preachers to infuse their Friday sermons with "the spirit of unity and respect for the other," according to Shiite lawmaker Salah Ashour.

In the island nation of Bahrain, newspaper commentaries warn against the dangers of sectarianism.

"For years, we have been living together _ Sunnis and Shiites _ as brothers and neighbors," wrote Sayyed Dheya al-Musawi in Bahrain's Alwasat newspaper. "Together, we should turn into firefighters to put out any sectarian flame that could come from a poisonous gust from wounded Iraq."

Yet despite the good intentions, powerful emotions at this sensitive time accentuate the divisions.

Sunnis in Bahrain are upset over banners that appeared to tout the superiority of Shiites last month during Ashoura, an annual Shiite ceremony commemorating the death of the 7th century Shiite saint Imam Hussein in a battle with Sunnis.

"There isn't a single Muslim who doesn't side with Hussein in this battle," said Sunni cleric Adel al-Maawdah. "But why should this battle become the whole history of a nation? Why the implication that if you're not with them (Shiites) you're guilty of Hussein's blood?"

Across the waters, Shiites in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province say they wish they could discuss sectarian issues that openly.

Saudi Shiites, who make up 10-15 percent of country's 19.7 million citizens, acknowledge life has become easier for them, especially since King Abdullah came to power in August.

Shiites participated heavily in last year's municipal election, a ban on some writers has been lifted and Ashoura was celebrated openly. Politically, however, they still play no role in decision-making.

Many Saudi Shiites say the only defense against the spread of Iraq's sectarian tensions is more openness to prevent resentments from festering and fueling extremists on both sides.

"If you don't support moderate forces, radical forces could take over," said Isa Almuzel, a member of the municipal council.
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