[MadIvan]

I suggest we get our Kurdish allies to come in and take care of it. The Muslims seem to care less if the slaughtering is done by other Muslims.

Regards, Ivan

[MadIvan]

Bump!

[Argus]

Excellent suggestion. I was thinking the anti-Saddam Shia should be issued arms and told to root those infidels out of their sacred shrines themselves, but the Kurds would probably do.

[VRWCmember]

But no attempt was made to take the city because some Iraqi troops were said to be barricaded inside the city's al-Hussein mosque, which includes the shrine of Hussein ibn Ali. The shrine has similar significance for Shia Muslims to that of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity for Christians. Hussein's murder in Karbala in 680 marked the schism between the Shia and Sunni Islamic traditions. He was cut down alongside 70 followers, an event commemorated to this day by a large red flag that flies from the mosque's dome. The story has gained a standing in Shia thinking comparable to the crucifixion for Christians.

The two primary differences being:
1. Hussein's death didn't atone for anyone's sin;
2. Hussein's remains are purportedly still in his Shrine since he didn't rise from the dead three days later.

[IronJack]

I understood that the coalition's orders were to withhold fire on such sites except in self defense, and that our soldiers held their fire in this case at their own discretion, not because they were forbidden.

In any case, it is clear who can claim forbearance, and who is making a mockery of holy sanctuary. But what could I expect from Muslims?

[tracer]

Nice touch, Ivan......

[noutopia]

Muslim cowards.Pure and simple.

[Benjamin Dover]

Two suggestions: 1. Tear gas-It's not gonna kill any civilians inside, no real damage to the building and it should get the cowards outside. 2. Play Barbara Streisand's Yentyl soundtrack over loud speakers. That should just about do it.

[GovernmentShrinker]

This is a situation where those nifty neutron bombs would come in handy.

[rogue yam]

Not all Kurds are Muslim. Many are something called "Yezidi" which apparently has been around for a while. This is the source of some of the trouble Kurds face in that part of the world.

Here's a link:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Thebes/2153/yezidi.html