Roots of the Sunni-Shi'ite War

Re your March 12 cover story: as a Sunni Muslim in the U.S., I am often asked to explain the differences and disagreements between the Islamic sects. Your superb analysis has made my job so much easier. It is the most balanced, finely nuanced examination of the sectarian divide I have ever read in the mainstream media. Unlike many other non-Muslim commentators, Bobby Ghosh correctly realizes that the root of the fighting in Iraq (and in other parts of the Islamic world) is not religion but politics. The warring parties cloak themselves in religious garb and quote suras from the Koran to suit their agendas, but at the end of the day their objective is not religious legitimacy but political supremacy. It is amazing how many Western writers miss that point — and all the more to Ghosh's credit that he grasps it.
Akbar Rehman, LOS ANGELES

Your Iraq coverage has always been superb, and your cover story raises the bar even higher. I don't think I had fully grasped the social and political aspects of the rivalry between Sunnis and Shi'ites until I read your story. Now I can't escape the conclusion that the solution to Iraq's problems cannot be military. Shi'ites and Sunnis have to sort this one out themselves, and the most the U.S. can do is try to be an honest broker between them.
George Julius Xavier, NEW YORK CITY

Your historical perspective on the differences between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites was quite enlightening. These groups have a great deal of historical baggage to unload if they are to find peace instead of an unending civil war. But you destroyed a perfectly clear historical perspective by claiming that "There could be no more bitter legacy of the Bush Administration's fateful decision to go to war in Iraq" than an intramural death match between the two groups. This conflict has been going on for centuries. To blame it on the Bush Administration instead of those responsible — the self-righteous mullahs and alleged holy men such as Muqtada al-Sadr — is to allow your political bias to creep into your reporting.
Dale R. Enck, buena vista, COLORADO, U.S.

Since President George W. Bush is such a devout Christian, he should have known not to invade Iraq. A walk through the Old Testament provides vivid evidence of perpetual hatred between tribes. The invasion catapulted Iraq into its civil war.
Robert E. Bee, hudson, FLORIDA, U.S.

The sectarian war between Sunnis and Shi'ites would be comparable to a civil war in the U.S. between Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics. If Iraqis cannot tolerate slight differences in practice of the same religion, how can they embrace democracy? One of the foundations of our democracy is the acceptance of different ideologies, including religion. It's time for Sunnis and Shi'ites to get over their mutual 1,300-year-old grudge. If Americans can accept a multitude of religious creeds among their compatriots, then surely the Iraqis can accept differences in the same religion.
Ronn Ohl, raleigh, NORTH CAROLINA, U.S.

Thinking Outside the Box
In his report on the Jesus tomb controversy [March 12], David Van Biema wrote that James Tabor's book The Jesus Dynasty "enmeshes a plausible story of early church strife in speculative material suggesting that Jesus had a human father." What is speculative about Jesus' having a human father? I find it much more speculative to suggest that a divine being impregnated a virgin girl. Perhaps the time will finally arrive when Christians accept the Bible for what it is: a series of allegories that aren't meant to be taken literally.
Fred Green, MIAMI

A Nation's Dreams
In contrast to the wonderful design on the March 5 cover — which was an artistic masterpiece — the story on Ghana's 50 years of independence was disappointing. You underplayed the role that foreign powers have played in tampering with the development of the young and promising country, and you didn't emphasize enough Prime Minister Kwame Nkrumah's vibrant efforts to raise Ghana and all of sub-Saharan Africa to the same level as the so-called developed countries.
Kwesi Dei-Anang, MAINZ, GERMANY

For a country whose natural and human resources have been exploited for centuries, Ghana (formerly Gold Coast) showed great spirit by beating a superpower 2-1 at Nuremberg in the 2006 football World Cup. The free education established by Nkrumah benefited Ghanaians and served as a model for all of Africa. Isn't it ironic that the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence and the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the British slave trade fall in the same year? Time could have done Ghana's tourism industry a great favor by including photographs of some of the castles, beautiful sandy beaches and Lake Volta. I would like to have seen mention of some of the country's personalities, like former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and President John Kofi Agyekum Kufuor. And of course Ghana is full of friendly and warm people. We are a peaceful country with a peaceful people.
Kofi Amoah, LEICESTER, ENGLAND

Europe Tightens Its Belt Re "Is the good life out of reach?" [Feb. 26], about the effect of a common currency on the cost of living in the European Union: Peter Gumbel made no mention of Britain, an E.U. country that has spurned the euro and kept its pound sterling. Wouldn't a comparison of economic conditions in Britain and those in other E.U. nations tell us something about whether the common currency is to blame for some of the ills mentioned?
Alan Campbell, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA