So Much for Reporting the Good News

Perhaps the talk of a coming civil war in Iraq was not so foolish after all. Instead of debating or even fighting their direct opponents, those seeking to destroy indiscriminately (or perhaps very discriminately) have brought more bloodshed and religious violence to the troubled country.

The BBC is following the story, which started with the attack on one of the holiest sites in Shi'a Islam. Since then, many Shi'ites have retaliated against Sunnis and their own mosques.


Before and after photos of the al-Askari shrine in Samarra. From the BBC's website, found here.

If this does spark wider violence, then it is almost guaranteed that American soldiers will wind up caught in the middle. It is also a shame that a beautiful building such as this was the victim of this attack, without even mentioning the religious implications.