Joan Ryan

After the United States led a military coalition that overthrew Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in April 2003, U.S. officials indicated that American forces would remain to help rebuild Iraq and create a democratic government. In the following viewpoint Joan Ryan argues that Americans must be prepared for the creation of an Islam-based government in Iraq, a country in which Muslims constitute 95 percent of the population. Most Muslims, she contends, do not believe in the separation between religion and politics and would support a government with strong Islamic elements. While many Americans might find the prospect of such a government disturbing, the United States cannot proclaim its support for democracy while dictating to the Iraqi people what kind of government they can have. Ryan is a columnist for the San...