Reply #14: This sort of thing went on under the Ottomans.

[Igel]

Any setback, any insult to the fundies' faith ... communal response for a communal mindset. Goes way back.

* made it possible for them to do this. But the propensity was there ... just suppressed by somebody who could. Part of the traditional culture, albeit in the country once billed as 'most secular' and 'most educated', at least in the '60s and '70s. 1800s, 1700s, 1600s ...

I assign immediate blame at the first rung.

But I refuse to stop at the second rung, once I'm climbing the ladder. Rather than political points, I want to understand the problem, because then if there's a solution it may be evident. And I find that the third rung on the ladder turns out to be very similar to the first rung, so after I get past "the people that did this are responsible" and move past "* unleashed this", I'm back to "and many of the Iraqi people have reverted to their traditions."

Note "many", not "all". And if there's a solution to tradition, it's that. Call it Kulturkampf if you want, or even bid'a, but that's precisely what's needed: The secular or wishy-washy or moderate, non-tribal Muslims have to take these retrograde idiots to the woodshed. Fitna. There, I've said it.