Religious Conflicts Loom in Iraq

Killing Americans was an obsession of Abu Bakr, a Sunni Muslim who sold his wares from a rickety stand outside the mosque of the al-Imam al-A'azam in the city's al-Azamiyah district. The 35-year-old father of four was killed Aug. 29 - not by the Americans but in a gun battle with Shiite Muslims. While much attention has focused on the zeal of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority, Abu Bakr's death highlights another side of the picture, and the potential for further violence and score-settling between Shiites and the Sunnis who were dominant as long as Saddam Hussein was in power. Posted by Editor at September 30, 2003 10:38 AM