We all need to pray for peace in Iraq. The situation is desperate, but there is still reason to hope for a solution. Here is my take on the relationship between the Sunnis and the Shiites.

Iraq is similar to a medieval society in that 85% of the population is Shiite, the serfs and peasants, while the remaining 15% are Sunni, the landlords and upper classes. The Sunnis, once the rulers before Saddam Hussein was toppled, are now in the minority in the government.

The Shiites want revenge after decades of abuse, but only the radicals among them are striking out violently against the Sunni. Radical Sunnis are striking back. They want to prevent a democratic state from succeeding.

The original split between the Shiites and the Sunnis goes back to the death of Mohammed in 632. At that time, Mohammed’s followers argued over who should succeed him. The more traditional Shiites insisted that only blood relatives of the prophet should lead them. The Sunnis held that any member of the faithful who could gain a consensus of support should lead them.

Where do the two groups stand today?

They are still divided.

The countries in the region, except Iran, are predominantly Sunni. Saudi Arabia is a Sunni nation. Osama bin Laden and his group al-Qaida are radical Sunnis. The late Abu Zarqawi, who beheaded hostages on camera, considered himself a Sunni warrior. The Taliban in Afghanistan are Sunnis. They declared all the Afghan Shiites to be heretics, and did not hesitate to slaughter thousands of them in spite of the Quran’s prohibition.

Jordan’s King Abdullah is a Sunni. He claims he is a direct descendant of the prophet Mohammed. The leader of Syria is a Sunni. President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt is a Sunni. He has stated publicly that most Shiites are loyal to Iran but not the countries where they live. He and others are worried that a Shiite state under Iran’s control might lead to a shift in power involving the control of oil.

The Shiites may be the majority in Iraq, but they number only 150 million in the general region, which has over 450 million Sunnis. The hostility between these two groups predates the American intervention in Iraq by centuries. (My book “World Religions” has a chapter dealing with Islam.)

At the moment the American presence might be the only thing preventing a civil war from breaking out in the region. The majority of Arabs in surrounding nations are afraid that a bloodbath might occur if America pulled its troops out too quickly.

Most Arabs would welcome a peaceful Iraqi nation, but the radicals among the Shiites and the Sunnis are agitated. Contemporary concerns about the role of women, freedom and equality are issues that can best be worked out in a democratic setting. Many want to see progress, but they define progress differently.

The government in Iraq has a Shiite prime minister who has asked the U.S. not to leave because his government wants to prevent a wider war from breaking out.
Eventually, we will need a good exit strategy, but for the moment I believe a peaceful diplomatic solution is possible. With God all things are possible.
Pray for those in Iraq and in the surrounding region.

Father Catoir, a native of Jackson Heights, is a retired priest of the Diocese of Paterson, N.J.