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Echoes of apocalypse in Iraq conflict

Conflictingn parties' view of the current crisis in Iraq is affected by their own religious views and interpretation of the end of times.
Smoke from a raging fire as a crude oil pipeline dwarfs a tree near Bayji,
some 40 km (25 miles) north of Tikrit, September 18, 2003. The cause of the
fire, which broke out on Wednesday night, is yet to be ascertained. The
pipilene is one of the main pipelines to carry crude oil from the northern
Iraqi city of Kirkuk to the export pipeline.  NO RIGHTS CLEARANCES OR PERMISSIONS ARE REQUIRED FOR THIS IMAGE  REUTERS/Arko
Datta

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When George W. Bush invaded Iraq, he was criticized, including for being motivated by eschatology (the aspect of theology that deals with the end of days) and desiring to push a right-wing Christian agenda in terms of the Christian prophecy regarding armageddon. Yet in 2003, no one foresaw the current conflict in Iraq that would lead many among the conflicting Iraqi parties to see the events as part of the prophecy of the end times, which could have an extensive impact on the conflict.

Religious visions of the apocalypse are applied to the Iraqi conflict in a structural and radical way. The religious aspect of the conflict has exceeded being mere strife between major religious denominations and sects in the country. Both Sunni and Shiite parties have made headway in applying the prophecy of the end times to current events, and have understood the recent developments as part of a prophetic context in their religious texts on the events of the end of days. This has not only exceeded the religious analysis of the events, it has even made both parties work according to this prophecy — with the religious prophecy having become an influential factor in the course of events in the country.

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