Iraqi tribes slowly become 'state within a state'
As political parties try to put tribes under their sway for electoral gains, Iraqi tribes have become “a state within a state,” where laws are powerless over their armament, authority and power.
Equipped with various firearms, convoys of tribal members can be seen across Iraq, in defiance of the laws prohibiting the firing of guns into the air. This causes major economic losses, while the country is going through a harsh economic crisis because of the decrease of oil prices and the expenses of the war against the Islamic State (IS).
Government agencies and citizens consider this phenomenon “uncivilized,” as it puts the lives of many into jeopardy. Others consider it “carelessness” to civil peace and civic life.
Sheikh Abdul Hussein al-Amir, a leader of Albu Sultan tribe that is widespread in central Iraq, told Al-Monitor that this is “a social custom that reflects well-established traditions and adds prestige to the tribe.”
A video posted on YouTube on June 27, 2013, shows the funeral procession of a tribal leader, Abu Karim Hamid al-Khalaf al-Mazkour al-Jubeir, who hailed from al-Jubeir tribe in Basra, during which participants were firing guns, making the agricultural area in which they were walking seem like a war zone.
