As for That Other Election

Tucked away in the by-lanes of Baghdad's upscale Yarmouk district, the Omar al-Mukhtar Mosque is an unimpressive structure. Gray cement and concrete, it boasts no glittering dome, no grand courtyard, no elaborate stucco work on the ceiling. The loudspeakers on its single minaret are set at a modest volume, and the muezzin's call to prayer barely travels a few blocks. "We like to keep things low-key," says Abdul Karim al-Nasseri, the mosque's soft-voiced imam. "People come here for quiet contemplation."

But the peaceful exterior hides a deepening disquiet. The Omar al-Mukhtar is a Sunni mosque, and these days, many of al-Nasseri's flock stop by his office after their daily prayers to unburden their anxieties--about the lack of jobs, the growing violence and, mostly, Iraq's political future. "Most of the conversations are about the elections," he says. "People want to know what they should do. Should they vote? Will it make any difference if they do? And who should they vote for?"

For the first time in centuries, Iraq's Sunnis are unsure of their place in the political arena. Traditionally the country's ruling élite despite being outnumbered by Shi'ites almost 3 to 1, they face being left behind as Iraq hurtles toward general elections scheduled for January. With many Sunni areas in central and western Iraq plagued by insurgency, U.S. and Iraqi officials have expressed doubts that a credible vote can be held in Sunni areas unless U.S. forces take back the rebel-held cities. Even if U.S. troops do, the task of finding Sunnis willing to brave intimidation from militant groups may prove even more difficult. In the absence of strong moderate voices, the insurgents have been able to consolidate power by portraying themselves as defenders of Sunni interests and threatening or killing those viewed as cooperating with the U.S. "For the past year, the only Sunnis who were seen or heard were the resistance," says Wamid Nadhmi, a Sunni political scientist at Baghdad University. "The result was that we--all of us--were labeled, especially by the Americans, as insurgents, kidnappers, beheaders, suicide bombers. The elections will allow us to choose legitimate groups who can stand up and represent the real aspirations of the Sunnis."