This is a region that is afflicted with its sectarian and denominational components. It was unable to exit the era of dismantlement era, to reach that of the nation, despite the years that passed on societies under what has become known as the states of independence. Each state is thus exiting the hegemony of one religious sect to fall under that of another, while their people are not recognizing any national belonging beyond their passports. Since the concept of citizenship is missing in our countries, the sect has become the nation, behind which are hiding those who could not flee to another real motherland, outside the border of this great nation. Hence, the demonstrations and protests against central authority, which is sectarian by nature, are becoming demonstrations and protests with a sectarian nature, in which it is rare to find people who belong to the ruler's sect. In the Iraqi Al-Anbar province, the Sunnis are staging demonstrations against the hegemony of the Shiite Nouri al-Maliki, and you might think they are citizens of another country. In the meantime, mediations are being deployed to convince them to raise the new Iraqi flag, instead of the one which existed under the Baath Party regime. When the time comes for the Iraqis not to mind favoring that flag, from which Iraq was supposedly “liberated" thanks to the American intervention around a decade ago, one can only imagine where the country is heading following this “liberation!" When the Iraqi Sunnis demonstrate raising the slogan of "pride", and seek protection from the Turkish prime minister against the regime in their country, it is because they feel their dignity is being undermined by this regime. It should be enough at this level that most of the Sunnis are convinced that the accusations cast against prominent figures in their ranks, namely Tarek al-Hachemi and Rafeh al-Issawi, aim at marginalizing and distancing them from the decision-making positions, to push the authority in Baghdad – which is claiming it is seeking the establishment of a “state of law" – to consider the meaning of these accusations and try to regain those citizens back in the lap of national dignity. However, what Al-Maliki is doing to the Sunnis is not different from what Saddam Hussein used to do to the Shiites and their command, in terms of marginalization, exclusion and accusations of collaboration with foreign sides. It is as though Iraq merely went from one dictatorship to another, despite the hopes placed in the distribution of the positions between the components of Iraqi society, mainly due to the sealing of a deal in this regard thanks to the American sponsor prior to its withdrawal. If the Sunni-Shiite conflict is not enough to fuel sectarian tendencies in Iraq, one should look at the emergence of the conflict with the Kurdish region, which is featuring an ethnic character to be added to the denominational one, and bringing back to mind the bitter memories of the confrontations with this province during Saddam Hussein's term. What is seen in Iraq is no different from the developments unfolding in the other states of the region, especially in terms of the sectarian alignment which has started to constitute a major threat to the frail unions known by these states. Indeed, while we still dream to build our countries on sound national bases, inter-sectarian conflicts are prevailing around us from Syria to Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt, only to name a few. While the supporters of the authority are rallying around it – with their blatant sectarian and denominational identity – its opponents have no choice but to seek protection from the other sect. This is clear at the level of the Syrians' uprising against their unjust rule, which did not hesitate to destroy major cities with their Sunni majority as a price for their rejection of the authority in place, while reassured that eventually, it will not hesitate to retreat to "its region" along the Latakia shores. If there is one lesson to be drawn from the power transition in Iraq, which went from the hands of one controlling sect to another, it is that sectarian tyranny, regardless of who is practicing it, cannot build a country; and if the states of this region want domestic stability, this can only be achieved through the instatement of the principles of real citizenship, so that no citizen feels marginalized while another enjoys the authority's immunity and privileges.
