[Vision2020] Sunnis and Shias: Some Don't Know the Difference

[nickgier at adelphia.net]

Greetings:

For the British trying to pacify Northern Ireland, knowing the difference between Protestants and Catholics was pretty basic information.

In the battle against Islamic militants, the basic distinction is the one between Sunnis and Shias.

We already know that George does not know the difference, but we elected him only because we knew he would not ask us nerdy questions like that when we had our beer with him.

But you would expect the FBI and members of Congress to know, wouldn't you?

Jeff Stein, national security editor at the Congressional Quarterly, asked the FBI head of counterterrorism this question and he didn't know the answer.  Stein asked the FBI PR man why this terrorist expert didn't know and the answer was that it was far more important to be a good manager.  

Stein then asked the FBI head of national security and he said that Iran and Hezbollah were Sunnis (they are Shiite) and he guessed right about Osama being a Sunni.  But he didn't have a clue about what their differences were.

Stein then asked two Republicans who serve on the House Intelligence Committee.  Neither of them had a clue about who the Sunnis and Shias were.  I guess their position was the same as their President's: they are all terrorists.  And how can there be a civil war in Iraq if they are all the same?

Most Americans and their representatives are so ignorant about world affairs that we do not deserve to be a world power.

You can read my column on American anti-intellectualism at http://users.adelphia.net/~nickgier/anti-intellect.htm

Nick Gier