Zarqawi's Aim

Christopher Hitchens has another great article up over at Slate. Recently there's been a lot of talk of civil war in Iraq and as Mudoc pointed out if it did come to that then the minority Sunnis would be in big trouble. I've got to admit that I'd quite forgotten this to, but Hitchens reminds us-

A letter from Zarqawi to Bin Laden more than a year ago, intercepted by Kurdish intelligence and since then well-authenticated, spoke of Shiism as a repulsive heresy and the ignition of a Sunni-Shiite civil war as the best and easiest way to thwart the Crusader-Zionist coalition. The actions since then have precisely followed the design, but the design has been forgotten by the journal of record.

Islamic terrorists might hate America, Christians and Jews (and other assorted infidels) but it's easy to forget that there are internal power struggles within Islam too. As the terrorist attacks continue in Iraq and the victims become more and more often Iraqis themselves, it's worth bearing in mind that this is no accident. Zarqawi knows exactly what he's doing and this recent spate of attacks- primarily on Iraqi police and civilians- is quite deliberate. While he signals to the world that scholars have approved Muslims being killed so long as infidels are dying too, it's important to note that if some Shi'ites die, Zarqawi is not in the least bit concerned. His jihad will continue regardless of who gets in the way. A civil war springing up between the factions in Iraq could also aid him, as more Sunni terrorists might come to join the fight. Even if they do not, his goal of wrecking the "vile heresy" of democracy in Iraq will be furthered.