Sunnis learn Shia customs to bluff Baghdad death squads

Ahmad Ali in Baghdad and Oliver Poole

Sunnis in Iraq are studying Shia religious history and customs to enable them to bluff their way through illegal checkpoints set up by Shia death squads. Relatives and neighbours meet to share knowledge on the 12 imams revered by Shias Muslims, test each other on the dates of Shia festivals or advise on where best to buy fake IDs with Shia names, in case they are challenged at gunpoint. Websites have also been established to help Sunnis learn how to pass themselves off as Shia. Such knowledge can be a matter of life and death as Shia militias stop cars in the capital and demand to know if the driver is Sunni or Shia...

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