Sunni and Shiite

Rachel Weskalnies

Sunni & Shiite

Knowing the difference between the Sunni and the Shiite is very important. “Iraq and Iran are majority Shiite nations while the rest of the Muslim world is mostly Sunni.”(Stein) A large majority of the people in the government agencies, such as Mr. Bald- executive counterterrorism operations and Willie Hulon-chief of National Security, do not know the difference between the two groups.

It is important for the people who run the government agencies to know who is who. In order to have an enemy you should be able to identify the enemy and know their backgrounds.  To be prepared for battle a U.S. soldier needs to be familiar with the culture, beliefs and history of the people he is fighting. The more you know your enemy the more prepared you would be in battle. Soldiers cannot be trained well for battle if the people that are sending them there are not educated about the differences between the Sunni and the Shiite.

                Even though it can be difficult to understand the differences between the Sunni and the Shiite it is still essential for the government agencies that are involved to be well educated and understanding about the enemies they are at war with.

                                                                              

work cited:

Stein, Jeff. "Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite? ." New York Times October 17, 2006, Sundayedition.     Web.

Isreali- Palestinian Conflict in the News

The article I read seemed as though it was pro- Palestinian. This article was about Jerusalem’s planning committee considering a proposal to build an underground parking lot for the Old City by breaching the 16th-century walls of Suleiman the Magnificent and digging into the rock beneath the ancient Jewish Quarter. “Just when it seemed as though no amount of building in Israel’s settlements and harsh statements at the United Nations by the country’s foreign minister could truly provoke new violence between Israelis and Palestinians, the Jerusalem municipality came up with something guaranteed to steam up some hotheads.”

Some people believe it is illegal, such as the director of the Palestinian Authority’s government media center. He thinks that “building an underground parking lot for the Old City will aggravate the strain between Israelis and Palestinians and have a negative effect on current international efforts to renew the political process.” Even though this plan has not yet been approved by the city committee I still agree that building this parking lot would create a lot of stiffness and tension.

This article seemed as though it was only listening to Palestinians side of the story. It does not mention what the Israelis think about the underground parking lot. That is why I believe that this online article is pro- Palestine.

Work Cited:

 Rees, M. B. 2010 October 11. Israel: Knocking down walls to put up a parking lot. global post. http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/israel-palestine/101006/jerusalem-old-city-jewish-quarter?page=0,0