For Immediate Release
January 24, 2005
Contact: Kamal Nawash
Phone: 301-905-6438
E-mail: president@freemuslims.org

On January 30, Iraqis are scheduled to vote in an election that will be used to select representatives to a national assembly in a transitional government. These elections are enormously significant because the new transitional government will be responsible for writing a draft constitution that may impact the lives of all Iraqis for decades and possibly centuries to come. It is absolutely imperative that the new Iraqi government be representative of all its citizens.

In past articles the Free Muslims Against Terrorism have written that the current killings and bombings in Iraq are being perpetrated by different groups for different reasons. In recent months it has become clear that a great number of the insurgents are Sunni Arab Muslims who are afraid of a future in which their government is dominated by followers of the Shiite religion. The despair and apprehension felt by the Sunni Arab Muslims is due to the fact that Sunni Arab Muslims have ruled Iraq for most of its history. The shift from Sunni Muslim to Shiite control is unprecedented in the Arab world and the significance of this transition cannot be exaggerated.

As a consequence of this unavoidable transition, the leaders of the Arab Sunni Muslim population have called for a boycott of the elections and some militants are threatening Sunnis Muslims with death if they vote. Recent reports have indicated that many Sunni Muslims Arabs are leaving Iraq for neighboring countries due to the current and foreseeable violence associated with the elections.

Consequently, there is likelihood that Sunni Arab Muslims may be severely underrepresented in the new Iraqi government. This will be bad for Iraq and the Middle East. A new Iraqi government whose job is to write a draft constitution cannot be and should not be overwhelmingly Shiite. Such a government may be seen as illegitimate which will guarantee continued violence for the foreseeable future.

The United States must do all it can to make certain that Arab Sunni Muslims are fully represented in the new Iraqi government even if they are not elected. An Iraq in which the Arab Sunni Muslim population feels left out will not have the best of relations with its Arab neighbors who are predominantly Sunni Muslims. For Iraq to succeed all Iraqis must be fully represented and no Iraqi should feel disadvantaged because of their religion or ethnicity. Iraq must be a shining example of tolerance, pluralism and diversity.

For more information, visit our website at www.freemuslims.org