Iraqi Sunni Leader Accused Of Inciting Violence Against Shiites
Revered by Anbar youth as a protector of their rights, Iraqi Sunni leader Ahmad al-Alwani has recently taken heat for allegedly inciting Sunnis to kill Shiites.
In a phone interview and before the issuance of an arrest warrant against him, Ahmad al-Alwani, a controversial Sunni politician, spoke to Al-Monitor about the future of Sunnis in Iraq. He said, “They are threatened with sectarian cleansing because of Iran and those pledging loyalty to Tehran in Iraq.”
He added, “In the protest square in Ramadi, everyone is waiting for the moment when Iraq is liberated from the Iranian occupation.” Alwani uses such terms when addressing the angry Sunni public, and seems to galvanize them and draws their favor.
Observers of the protest square will quickly notice that Alwani is the only politician to have remained in place. The majority of Sunni coalition leaders have left to their partisan offices.
Observers believe that Sunnis opposed to the government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have deliberately left Alwani in the square to manage it and preserve the popular momentum while they focus on political negotiations with Shiite powers, notably the State of Law Coalition.
