Juan Cole

Quran Quote of the Day on Peace The fourth chapter of the Quran, “Women,” addressed the early Muslim community in Medina during the 620s, at a time when they were being attacked by the powerful pagan Meccans, who were trying to wipe them out. The Quran repeatedly commands the Muslims to defend themselves from these […]

Bigotry toward Muslims and Anti-Arab Racism Grow in US; Dubai and the Quran The constant drumbeat of hatred toward Muslims and Arabs on the American Right, on television and radio and in the press, has gradually had its effect. This according to a Washington Post poll. Even in the year after September 11, a majority […]

24 Found Dead Interior Minister Escapes Assassination The transcript of my appearance on the Lehrer News Hour is now online. Police patrols discovered 24 dead bodies in Baghdad on Wednesday, which had been strangled or shot. They were probably victims of sectarian reprisal killings. Another six were killed in bombings and other violence. Iraqi special […]

Kurdistan Islamic Party Will Vote Against Jaafari The USG-funded Open Source Center (formerly the Foreign Broadcast Information Service or FBIS) translates a Kurdish news article indicating that the Kurdistan Islamic Party will vote against Jaafari and generally will vote with the Kurdistan Alliance. (The latter announcement contradicts an earlier statement from the party.) ‘ Kurdish […]

Khalilzad meets al-Hakim Reuters reports several bombs and attacks in Baghdad, as well as in Baqubah, Khalis, Kirkuk and elsewhere, leaving over a dozen dead. Significant items include the assassination of 3 members of Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Militia in Baqubah; the blowing up of a Sunni shrine in Tikrit; and a mortar attack on the […]

Over 20 Dead in Guerrilla Violence Talabani’s Bid to call Parliament Fails The Iraqi general in charge of Baghdad security was killed by a sniper on Monday. I suppose it doesn’t need underlining that this is very bad news for Baghdad security. The assassinated commander, himself a Sunni Arab who led men during the Iran-Iraq […]

3 Mosques Attacked Kurdish Envoy Sees Sistani about Jaafari Mosque attacks continued in Iraq on Sunday, as sectarian violence refused to die down. There was guerrilla violence in Mosul, Baghdad, Baiji, Samarra and Ramadi. Amnesty International maintains that tens of thousands of Iraqis have been detained without trial or even formal charges for months and […]

Kirkuk at the Center of Kurdish-Shiite Struggles I find most reporting on the struggle between Iraq’s Kurdish president, Jalal Talabani and the current Shiite Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, to be awfully superficial and to allow itself to be led by Talabani’s talking points. What is really going on here has to do with Jaafari’s positions […]

Muqtada Warns Talabani on “interference” United Iraqi Alliance politicians continued Saturday to insist that the party would continue to back Ibrahim Jaafari as the new prime minister, despite attempts by Kurds (especially President Jalal Talabani) and Sunnis to push him aside. Jaafari has angered Kurds by his attempts to involve Turkey in Iraqi affairs to […]