Friday January 11, 2013

I've Been Thinking:

Iran and Egypt appear to be mending fences.

Iranian Foreign Minister Ali Akhbar Salehi visited Egypt yesterday. The press coverage of the visit underplayed the dramatic differences between the two countries.

The differences are gargantuan. Iran and Egypt are diametrically opposed over Syria. Religiously, one is a Shiite country and the other Sunni. Since the Islamic revolution in 1979 and then the assassination of Egyptian President Sadat there has been nothing more than a frigid cold relationship between the two nations - and it has never thawed. Iran even named a main square in Teheran after Sadat's assassin.

The Iranian Foreign Minister, a Shiite, spent some time meeting with new Egyptian President Morsi, a Sunni, and other Egyptian Sunni leaders. He met with Sheikh Ahmed Al-Tayeb, the Grand Sheikh of Al-Azhar - one of the most prestigious centers of learning in the Sunni world

The leaders attempted to put on the face of unity. President Morsi was invited to visit Iran. They emphasized their commonalities and their similar orientation.

But it is nearly impossible to unite Shiite and Sunni. It is not just about centuries old injustices. It is also about injustices that took place recently.

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