Reporters on the Job
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Echoes of history: Correspondent Charles Levinson went to a Shiite shrine in Baghdad last week to see the celebration of a little-known Shiite holiday. The holiday is called Eid al-Ghadir, named for the spot in 7th-century Arabia where the prophet Mohammad supposedly declared to the faithful that Ali, his son-in-law, was to be his rightful heir. This didn't happen: Ali was pushed aside and the Shiite-Sunni conflict was born.
"At the celebration at the Shiite shrine, a cleric gave a scathing speech in the mosque's courtyard," says Charles
(see story). "He lashed out at the first Muslim caliphs, the founding fathers of Islam in Sunni eyes, and usurpers of power in Shiite eyes. Though he couched his attacks in the context and vocabulary of early Islamic history, it was clear that he had much more contemporary targets in his metaphorical crosshairs."
Amelia Newcomb
Deputy world editor
Cultural snapshot
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STRIPES OF HONOR:
Swiss Guards listened Sunday as Pope Benedict XVI thanked them on the Guard's quincentennial, or 500th anniversary, for service protecting the Vatican.
The guards first came to the Vatican in 1506, summoned to protect Pope Julius II. Starting April 7, more than 100 former guards will reenact the initial march from Switzerland to Rome, arriving in time to commemorate guards killed in May 1527 during the sack of Rome.
To serve in the Swiss Guard, candidates must be Roman Catholic, under the age of 30, unmarried when they start their service, veterans of the Swiss Army, and at least 5 ft. 8 in. tall. The current guard has 110 members.
ANDREW MEDICHINI/AP
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