With a civil war going on why are Iraq,s having 10,000 man pilgrimage in Baghdad,?

Question

could not a suicid bomber kill many in such a packed arena?

Answer 1

Sure could.

But the images we see of Iraq, as depicted in the media and by politicians who seek to further their own agendas, are of the killing, fighting and bloodletting. And even though 100 or more may be killed or injued in a single day, this takes place in a population of 25.5 million, give or take. Which leads to the question, what are the other MILLIONS doing?

And the answer is: they are running shops, farming fields, making things, pulling oil out of the ground, teaching, learning, winning soccer matches, editing newspapers, trying to turn the lights back on, preaching -all the stuff a civilian population does while perhaps 5 thousand or so of their countrymen are setting fuses on road side bombs, shooting at each other or importing illegal arms.

And among the things they do is follow ancient religious practices, celebrate holidays -all the stuff eveyone else everywhere else does -so the parade is ON! After all, this kind of thing was forbidden in Saddam's day, so the fact that many thousands are expected to turn out suggests its important to some of them. 10 thousand is a lot of people in one place at one time, but the number would probably be a lot MORE if the fighting were over and things had calmed down -we've got to keep our perspective here.

Aside from religious sensitivity, there is a political side, for the religious exercise is a means of demonstrating political power as well. This is a Shia deal -so it is kind of a way of poking the Sunnis with a stick, so to speak. The radical Sunnis and Shias don't like each other very much, so the thought of either canceling some event because of fear about what the other might do is unlikely to get much traction.

It is also a test of the government's ability to protect its citizens, so, while everyone is nervous about an attack, a relatively peaceful outcome sends a strong statement about improvements in security.

And so -the march goes on.

Remember, BIG as thi s deal is, it is very small compared to the number of people who could go -but have decided not to.

I hope this helps.

Answer 2

The Iraqis know where the bombers strike and it is the reason that they are not afraid to have a pilgrimage with 10,000 participants.

Answer 3

Well your optimism is much appreciated. You negative attitude regarding a mythical civil war is noted.

How about we applaud the country for continuing to per sue a regular life while the terrorists torment the country?????

Answer 4

It's religion, if you ever figure it out, let me know.