Qom Iran

If the United States hopes to ensure a functional postwar Iraq, it had better fully understand the different sectarian and ethnic groups within the country -- and their connections outside Iraq. Since its creation in 1921, Iraq has been governed by a Sunni Arab minority, which constitute less than 20% of the country's population. The Sunnis felt entitled to rule Iraq because they considered themselves the heirs of the Ottoman Empire.

Hejab is the covering worn by Muslim women--the veils and scarves, long coats and body-concealing robes. In different places it takes different forms, because the Koran's instruction that women dress modestly is interpreted in various ways. Even the question of whether men and women are equal is open to debate among Muslims, says Leila Ahmed, a professor of women's studies in religion at Harvard Divinity School. "Look at the diversity in the way Islamic women are treated," Ahmed says.

According to local legend, this island state, set like a pearl in the turquoise waters of the Persian Gulf, was the site of the biblical Eden. Scholars now discount Bahrain as the backdrop for the book of Genesis, but the tale still clings, and clerks in the tourist office here cheerfully recall it with a wink and a smile. These days, however, Bahrain is about as far from Eden as one can get.

Clerics and politicians speak in hushed tones about the names drawn up for assassination. Guards stand outside their compounds clutching assault rifles, and handguns rest on desks. No one can be trusted. All sides fear that dark times are coming to Najaf, the spiritual capital of Iraq's Shiite Muslims.