“The Real Iraq”
Courtesy of Professor Reynolds, read this very interesting essay by Amir Taheri in the latest Commentary. Here’s the passage that caught my eye (emphasis mine):
A second dependable sign likewise concerns human movement, but of a different kind. This is the flow of religious pilgrims to the Shiite shrines in Karbala and Najaf. Whenever things start to go badly in Iraq, this stream is reduced to a trickle and then it dries up completely. From 1991 (when Saddam Hussein massacred Shiites involved in a revolt against him) to 2003, there were scarcely any pilgrims to these cities. Since Saddams fall, they have been flooded with visitors. In 2005, the holy sites received an estimated 12 million pilgrims, making them the most visited spots in the entire Muslim world, ahead of both Mecca and Medina.
Now, why do you suppose that Muslim pilgrims would choose to visit Iraq in such large numbers —and not, say, Saudi Arabia where Mecca, Medina, and brotherhood await? I realize, of course, that we’re talking about Shia holy sites that would be of great interest to Iraq’s Iranian neighbors and that the numbers are inflated for reasons of propinquity.
Still: Iraq? Muslim pilgrims and vacationers are choosing to go into Iraq when the Great Satan is in the house?
That’s the condensation ring on the bar that tells you someone had a nice cold one there just before you showed up and let Big Media hit on you, you fucking floozies.
