Iraqis Turn to Civil Disobedience In Anbar, Ninevah Provinces
Opposition leaders have called for civil disobedience in reaction to Iraq's prime minister calling protesters "insurgents," writes Omar al-Shaher.
The residents of Anbar in the west and Ninevah in the northwest — the major strongholds of Sunnis in Iraq — have been practicing civil disobedience since midnight Sunday, April 21, to protest Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's describing them as “insurgents.” The preachers from mosques in the Sunni areas of the Iraqi capital Baghdad and in Diyala province have called on residents to fast from dawn until dusk throughout the duration of the civil disobedience.
Al-Monitor’s reporter noted that Ramadi, the capital of Anbar, was a ghostly city during the early hours of the morning. Not a passerby was seen in the streets, shops were all closed and only key officials reported to governmental institutions. Eyewitnesses have confirmed that in the city of Mosul, the capital of Ninevah, the daily activity of residents nearly ceased, while the markets and shops were closed.
