[CyberAnt]

Really ..?? Kurds are Kurds - and Sunnis are Sunnis - and they're not interchangable. They have very different belief systems.

The Sunnis only represent 20% of the total population of Iraq .. I hardly see them in a power position of any kind. That's why they boycotted the elections - to try to force people into abandoning the elections so they could have a chance of regaining their power - but it didn't work and now the Sunnis are trying to make nice with other groups in hopes of getting some representation in their assembly.

I believe the Shiia and the Kurds will have the most members and therefore - I'm hoping Allawi will remain as PM. I want him to stay because I think he's tough - and he's a big supporter of President Bush and America's military. The Sunnis will have representation, but they will no longer be able to wield power over Iraq.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I believe the Shiia and the Kurds will have the most members and therefore - I'm hoping Allawi will remain as PM. I want him to stay because I think he's tough - and he's a big supporter of President Bush and America's military. The Sunnis will have representation, but they will no longer be able to wield power over Iraq.

I like the way this is shaping up.

We need Allawi to remain the main Man!

[oldleft]

Sunnis are not just Sunnis. The Sunnis we refer to most of the time are Arab Sunnis, but most Kurds in Iraq are Sunni as well. Sunni is a branch of Islam just like Shia. The Shia in Iraq are Arabs like the Sunnis where as the Kurds are a different ethnic group, not semitic, and have a distinct language and culture.

The major difference between Sunni and Shia is the lack of an organized hierarchy within the clergy of Sunni. The Shia do have a hierarchy, much like the Catholic church, where the highest level one may obtain is Grand Ayatollah which is what Sistani is.

Do not mistake Sistani for the Ayatollahs in Iran however. Khomeini was given the title by the Shia church because he was sentenced to death and under Iranian law at the time and Ayatollah could not be executed. But he, Rafsanjani and their ilk are not Ayatollahs like Sistani is. I believe there are currently two Grand Ayatollahs.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Really ..?? Kurds are Kurds - and Sunnis are Sunnis - and they're not interchangable.

i think the Kurds were an offshoot from the Sunnis at some time.