Close Up
The new Sunni political actors in Iraq
From 1968 to 2003, Saddam Hussein’s regime nurtured an exacerbated form of nationalism in Iraq based on the ideology of the Baa’th party. This non-religious party used to emphasise the religious dimension that existed within the state. It also muffled ethnic and denominational differences and did not allow them to be voiced. The other political parties were considered to be illegal and had little chance of being heard in such a monopolistic power configuration. When Saddam was chased from power in April 2003, a political void arose and the country became the scene of clashes between clans and religious denominations.
The Iraqi dictator was an Arab and a Sunni who had always favoured members of his community and discriminated against Shia Muslims and Kurds in particular. At his fall, Sunni Arabs were swept aside and marginalised, contrary to the other communities. Moderate and radical Sunnis then refused to partake in the elections of 30th January 2005. They could not stay out of the political process and decided to be part of it despite the fact that the two other communities had become a majority in the political institutions of Iraq.
The Sunni community now faces a major hindrance: it lacks a representative political authority, which means that its latitude is quite small. However, it aims to defend itself against a triumphant Shi’ism. The communitie’s main representatives are the Iraqi Ulema Association and the Iraqi Islamic Party, whose orientation is close to that of the Muslim Brotherhood.
The Committee of Iraqi Ulemas is the main Sunni religious organisation. Its main objectives are associative and charitable but it also aspires to wielding some political power inside the Sunni community of Iraq. The relations that the Iraqi Ulemas have with the opposition are slightly ambiguous. Their attitude often condones the insurrection, and both entities share some similar ideas. Nevertheless, the influence of the Committee of Ulemas on its community is undeniable.
The other big Sunni Islamic force of Iraq is the Iraqi Islamic Party, which has the biggest political weight. The party was banned under Saddam Hussein but it now has five of its members in the government, amongst which the current Vice-President of Iraq, Tariq Al-Hachemi. The main goals of the party are similar to those of the Committee of Ulemas. They are campaining for the pacific establishment of Iraqi independence, for the promotion of Islamic values in society and for the preservation of national unity. Unlike the Committee of Ulemas, the Iraqi Islamic Party did take part in the political process. Its representative, Moshen Abdul Hamid, was a part of the rotatory presidency of the provisional Iraqi Governing Council. At the end of 2005 it joined the Sunni Concord Front which helped it win 44 seats in Parliament and hence become the main Sunni force with representatives in the Iraqi political sphere.
-- Yasmine Chikhi
Candidate for the Master in Political Science at the Aix en Provence University
Translated into English by Marguerite Cornu, Research Assistant trainee
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- Origin CERMAM
- http://www.cermam.org/en/logs/zoom/the_new_sunni_political_actors/
- Publié le 15 March 2007