Housecleaning has achieved an unprecedented dimension in the state of Iraq. In an process which is reminiscent of the great Purge in the Soviet Union, the
Interior Ministry in Iran is being purged of Shia’s who for years has misused its authority to terrorize and traumatize the Sunni Arabs. The Interior Ministry is now the battleground for the ongoing struggle between Shia's and Sunni's in over power. The issue is complicated as the Interior Ministry is dominated by the Shia's how are reluctant to hand power over. Now, the
new interior minister,Jawad al Bolani is attempting to clean up the ministry, and make it more representative.
Sectarian conflict between the dominant Shia's and the minority Sunni's has plagued Iraq for years. Under Saddam Hussein, the volatility of the situation was kept in check by the the simple policy of repression. The invasion of the US in March 2003 however, exacerbated the problems by opening a Pandora's Box of ethnic conflicts and lethal violence. With the institution of the new
government earlier this year, policy makers are keen to make peace with the wronged Sunni Arabs. The person facing this tedious and thankless task is the new Interior Minister, Jawad al Bolani.
With minimal
political backing though, the road ahead appears to be tough and pot-holed.
The initiative stems from the United Nations led, widely publicized discovery of torture in a prison called Site 4. Inspectors found startling evidence of human rights abuse against Sunni Arabs. Several of the prisoners were children, who were humiliated and tortured in the most horrific circumstances. To add to Bolani's worries, the government is not even sure how many more of such prisons exist. Clearly, the quest to make the Interior Ministry reflect the political population more equitably has a long way to go.
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