War of the mosques is shattering Iraq's hopes (The Guardian)

[Frederik]

"What has changed in the 14 months since I last investigated Baghdad's mosque wars is insidious and very dangerous - a subtle transformation of how Sunni and Shia in this city see each other. For suspicion has crept in where there was none before - even among friends and colleagues who had previously worn their religious identities lightly."

"Once, he says, most Shias and Sunnis would blame 'foreign fighters' for attacks, pointing out that suicide bombings were not part of Iraq's culture; now Shias are asking themselves, both privately and in public, why it is that the Sunnis turn a blind eye to terrorists in their midst. And why do they not surrender them?"

"The growing culture of suspicion among ordinary Iraqis has in recent weeks been mirrored by a more hardline stance among com munity leaders. Figures from both sides have been airing their accusations more brutally than ever before. Most devastating of all was the televised trading of charges of terrorism last month by two of Iraq's most prominent Shia and Sunni leaders."

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,1514897,00.html