Agence France Presse — English
July 16, 2004 Friday 3:21 AM Eastern Time

Iraqi Christian, Shiite Muslim stand firm in face of extremists

by SEBASTIEN BLANC

BAGHDAD

Attackers wreck five liquor stores along the same Baghdad street but
amid the rubble a Christian and a Shiite Muslim say their friendship
is stronger than the Islamist extremists’ hatred of alcohol.

Vartan Sarkissian, 51, an Iraqi Armenian whose family fled to Baghdad
to escape the 1915 genocide under the Ottoman Empire, lives in a
Christian neighbourhood around Al-Thariba avenue.

The busy shopping street is also home to his Shiite friend, Salah
Abdallah, despite being outnumbered nine-to-one by Christians.

The 38-year-old car salesman has an apartment in a building near
Vartan’s shop, which sells mobile telephones.

The pair, both sporting moustaches, are good friends. Their children
play together. Every now and then they even share a small glass of
something alcoholic.

And Salah, a moderate Muslim, is on occasion invited to the local
church to attend family events.

He has a figure of Jesus at the front of his car as “a present from
my Christian friends”, Salah explained, adding that he really enjoyed
Mel Gibson’s blockbuster, “The Passion of Christ”.

The two friends were, naturally, shocked by the bomb attacks which
took place overnight Wednesday against five liquor stores along their
street. It reduced the shop fronts to rubble and also wrecked several
neighbouring stores.

Vartan’s mobile phone outlet was partially damaged.

“We do not want an extremist in a turban ruling Iraq. It is not
possible to set up an Islamist regime here,” said Salah, who blamed
militiamen loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr for the
attack.

Such men adhere to a strict line of Islam and frown on any
association with alcohol.

“Moqtada has divided the Shiites,” who represent around 60 percent of
the Iraqi population, said Salah.

“But these attacks are not going to affect our relationship with the
Christians. They are our brothers and are always welcome here,” he
said.

Despite the strong sentiment, the violence does have an adverse
effect.

Vartan can name five or six families who have recently left the
country for Syria or fled to Iraqi Kurdistan in the north.

“It is sad because they are people we have welcomed for 20 years,”
agreed Salah.

His Christian friend appeared set to weather the storm, however. “I
will repair my shop and pray for those people who have lost their
sense of social responsibility,” Vartan said.

Vartan does not blame Iraqi Muslims for the violence that has raged
in the country for the past 15 months.

“It is simply a case of establishing what their goals are to find who
is pushing from behind: it is Iran,” he said.

Salah and Vartan said they were prepared to begin communal patrols,
armed with Kalashnikov riffles, to help secure the neighbourhood.

“I will protect him and he will protect me. We are not just
neighbours we are friends and brothers,” said Vartan.

“He is like an uncle to my son. There are people who want to break
the bonds in Iraq between Christians and Muslims. They will not
succeed,” said the Armenian.