Bahrain shows Iraqi politicians sectarian divide

Shockwaves of the Bahraini conflict unveiled the sectarian divide among Iraqi politicians, with some slamming the Saudi-UAE intervention in Bahrain as unacceptable, while others described the GCC move in Bahrain as commensurate with GCC’s mutual defense agreement.

Wahida al-Jumaily, a member of parliament from the Sunni-backed Iraqiya Block, slammed the Iraqi government ‘vociferous’ condemnation of the Bahraini government crackdown against protesters, while keeping a low-tone criticism over governments' violence against civilians in Libya and Yemen.

“We see an ostensible great amount of denunciation of the GCC intervention in Bahrain, but we do not see a similar criticism by the Iraqi government against Gaddafi forces targeting Libyan civilians,” al-Jumaily said.

The Iraqi MP advised the government to take a non-partisan approach toward the Arab uprisings taking place, and warned of reviving the sectarian sentiments in Iraq and not to go back to square one.

In solidarity with Bahrain

To show solidarity with the Bahraini people, the Iraqi Council of Representatives suspended its 44 session to 27th of March.

“Immoral crackdown of Bahraini protesters” and “Saudi invasion of Bahrain” were reasons cited by the head of the House of Representatives, Usama al-Nujaifi, to suspend the 44 session.

Another Iraqiya Block member of parliament, Madhhar Khathar al-Janabi showed his estrangement towards the Iraqi government pivoting for more support for the Bahraini uprising among other Arab uprisings, as the region rages with protests en masse.

Al-Janabi told Sumaria News that Iraq should stay away from GCC affairs, and defended UAE’s and Saudi’s stationing in Bahrain for what he described the GCC countries mutual defense agreement signed in 2000. The agreement has placed any threat on any GCC state as the threat on others, he added.

Either or...

Al-Janabi said that his block rejects the closing of the Iranian embassy in Iraq, emphasizing Iraq-Iran 1300 km borders, and said “cutting relations with Iran is against Iraq’s interests.”

Calls to close the Iranian embassy in Iraq was initially spurred by an Iraqiya MP Haidar al-Mulla on March 20. Al-Mulla said that the Iranian muddling into Iraq's affairs was the reason.

Al-Mulla’s call was rejected by the Shiite Sadr Front’s Ahrar Block MP Youssef al-Hajim, who argued that the Iranian Embassy did not act against Iraq, nor Iran invaded a neighboring country or interfered in the economy and politics of other nations.

Meanwhile, the Ahrar Block itself called for the closure of Bahrain's embassy in Baghdad, and its consulate in Najaf, in protest against the military action against civilians in Bahrain.

Alongside Iraqi Shiite scholars who condemned Bahrain’s government crackdown of protesters, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki criticized the Gulf countries intervening in Bahrain, and said that it will contribute toward complicating the situation in the region.

Last week, thousands of Iraqis took on the streets to protest against the 2,000 GCC force in Bahrain.