Sectarian Violence

I've been following the Iraq Diary of Saad Eskander. On Feb. 8th, two of his librarians, one Sunni and one Shi'ite, were kidnapped. The Sunni was released but the other was executed. Sectarian violence is beyond all understanding though I am trying to teach myself and gain insight into the terrible Schism. I am hoping the current issue of Time Magazine will offer some insight.

I ask myself where this interest has come from and it's not an easy question to answer. I suppose the beginning would have its roots in 9-11. But even before 9-11, I was very aware of Afghanistan and the Taliban when the Great Buddha's were destroyed, reduced to rubble. A vital part of the history of that part of the world was mindlessly destroyed. I've never really gotten over that event but there IS reason for hope.

The war in Afghanistan and our misguided venture into Iraq cannot be ignored and somewhere along the line I wanted to learn more about the spiritual me, the part of me that makes me real. Discovering Frida's and others Afghan blogs opened that world to me in a very different way. Almost hand in hand, while I explored a deeper knowledge of my Faith, I started reading stories center in Afghanistan, Serbia, and Iraq. Somehow it seemed that having some knowledge of these worlds through the voices of the people themselves, might hold the key to understanding not only them but also understanding an important and neglected part of myself.

Eskander ended his entry for February 8th with these words: "I have come to realise that nowadays in Baghdad, the perfect human being would be one who can switch off all his senses. To be blind and deaf is not a curse anymore, but a blessing in disguise."

What a terrible and sad reality.