Fear and suspicion abound despite improved security

Baghdad: Despite the improvement of the security situation in Baghdad, relationships among Iraqi citizens are still influenced by fear and suspicion, Iraqis said.

According to a recently published government report issued by the head of security forces in the Iraqi capital, sectarian violence declined more than 90 per cent, and the phenomenon of unidentified bodies which were being discovered every morning fell back from 40 - 60 a day to two corpses a day.

The report was compiled by a committee headed by Aboud Qanbar, the security chief for Baghdad area. The committee was formed in early 2007, when the Iraqi troops launched a campaign to enforce security in Baghdad.

However, ordinary citizens still fear sectarian violence.

"As an Iraqi Shiite, I moved from the Sunni district because of a sectarian displacement to Al Mansour neighbourhood in Baghdad, which is a mixed district but Sunnis are in majority," Ibtisam Adnan told Gulf News. "I told my neighbours that I am Sunni and I pray alone, unnoticed by my neighbours because we live a very tense life," she added.

In the Iraqi capital, there are some districts which are still considered safe for Sunnis and Shiites alike. These districts still maintain genuine coexistence such as Al Karada, Al Massbah and Zaiona neighbourhoods, but certain concerns still exist between citizens.

Hashim Al Zawbai, said to Gulf News: "I am a Sunni citizen who moved to the Al Karada neighbourhood, whose people are very nice but the problem is some strangers who live in this district and could be militias. Therefore I have hidden the names of my two sons, Omar and Qusay, from my neighbours, who as I mentioned are good people, and I call my children different names."

Several years ago, in work or housing, Iraqi Sunnis and Shiites participated side by side but nowadays Sunnis do not share their trade or work with Shiites.

Al Haj Abu Shukri, told the Gulf News: "I am a well known Sunni trader in Shouja. Years ago I was a partner with Shiite traders for more than a year, but now we don't deal with each other. Shiite citizens do not buy from us and they go to a Shiite trader, so the fear of the other is still dominant and it had lasted for five years. Perhaps we need many years and not days to get rid of these fears."

Widad Al Shamari, told the paper : "I am a Shiite citizen, I was displaced from Al Durra district years ago. When I was hunting for a new house, I sought to find one in a district where all its inhabitants are Shiite because I do not want to live in fear again."

Assad Mahmoud Saleh, a social researcher said: "I think that the people's fear of each other is not a sectarian concern but it is a fear about specific terrorist elements that are common to all parties.

"Extremist elements from both Sunni and Shiite sides are looking for information, so all parties try to hide it and this kind of treatment between citizens is merely preventive. The truth is that the Sunnis love and respect Shiites, but the important observation here is that the impact and the influence of terrorist elements is still strong."