Caliph Muawiyah I, founder of the Umayyad Dynasty, dies after 19-year reign in which he has restored unity to the Arabian Empire despite opposition from Shiites and renewed military offensives against nonbelievers.
"The Shiites who were hesitant or intended to boycott the elections voted overwhelmingly in favour of Al-Wefaq, the representative of their community. Baqer al-Najar, a sociology professor at the University of Bahrain also said "The way the media handled the security situation which prevailed prior to the elections unexpectedly raised Al-Wefaq's shares.
Unrelated practices exist in non-Roman Catholic traditions, including actual flagellation amongst Shiites (commemorating the martyrdom of Husayn ibn Ali), as well as traditions such as whipping women (while spanking men) in a Taoist temple on the Chinese New Year.
A November 2004 Washington Post interview with the group's leader, Ishmael Jubouri, stated that the IAI was predominantly composed of Iraqis (Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, and Arabs) trying to force foreign troops out of Iraq.
According to one analyst, the controversy over the cartoons has resulted in bridging some of the divides that both sides of the "West vs Jihadist" conflict have historically exploited: The rift between the United States and Europe on one side, and the rift between Sunnis and Shiites on the other side.