Karbala and Najaf

This Independent piece does a reasonable job of explaining why Karbala and Najaf are important to Shi'a - and why that importance is a complicating factor for Coalition strategy.

While I've kept this blog somewhat free of my anguish about battles close to the heartland of my religious identity, there has been fairly emotional and regular posting on Shi'a Pundit.

It has never been easy to be a Muslim, and an American, and a Shi'a. And to love all aspects of my identity such that they are integrated into my whole. But this war has been very, very difficult for me, much more so than every before in my entire life.