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Originally Posted by SporkLord";p="
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The poll, which has not been released publicly, found three-quarters of Iraq's influential Shiite majority, who make up 60 percent of the country, would boycott elections if called upon to do so by a respected religious leader.
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It's talking about a Shiite boycott, not a Sunni one. They are not voting, that is not the same as a boycott. |
You convieniently left out the paragraph leading up to that statement which said:
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Meanwhile, most Shiites, who have overwhelmingly backed the election, said they would skip the vote if called to do so by a religious leader they trusted.
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Earlier they stated:
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"32 percent of Sunni(s) versus 87 percent of Shiite(s) say it is very likely they will personally vote."
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Clearly this is talking about a
Sunni boycott, not a Shiite one.
As to your other question:
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Originally Posted by SporkLord";p="
Not the primary reason?
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The survey, conducted from December 12-16 by the State Department's Bureau of Research and Intelligence, revealed major concern among Sunnis about the security situation in Iraq, with many saying the threat of violence could keep them away from the polls.
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Even if Sunnis want to vote, the danger of attacks by insurgents could very well keep them from heading to the voting booth.
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"Sixty one percent of Arab Sunnis are very concerned about their family's safety versus 24 percent of Shiite," the poll said.
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Of course they are going to answer that way!! It's in complete agreement with what I said earlier. The insurgency is a Sunni one. The reason for the insurgency is to reduce support for our efforts in Iraq. They desperately do not want an election to occur. They don't want to be a minority, they want to rule. If you're against the elections occurring, then you aren't going to provide positive responses to Western surveys.
I'm not completely dismissing the fears. I said MOST Sunnis are against the election. I would assume there are a minority who would like to vote, but may fear for their safety from other Sunnis. Thus I agree with the second statement. It would be great if the situation were such that everyone who wanted to vote could, but I believe there will be no convincing the Sunnis so long as they see a way to regain their status. The election will strengthen a sovereign Iraq, and Sunnis will eventually have to decide whether they want to fall in line, or wage a civil war with the majority.