Still learning to be free.(What's Next in Iraq?)

The American Enterprise has taken a bold step in carrying out a public opinion poll in a country in which, until recently, only one opinion mattered--Saddam Hussein's.

The poll offers significant findings which augur favorably for the reconstruction of Iraq. Some results seem ironic. When asked whether, over the next five years, the U.S. would help or harm Iraq, 50 percent said harm. Yet when asked to name one foreign country that Iraq should model itself after, respondents placed the United States first. It is not surprising that those who chose the U.S. are largely in the 18-29 age group. In Iraq, as in most countries, this is the first group to demonstrate against the U.S. for political reasons, but also the first to adopt the American way of life and culture.

One of the most surprising results is the answer to the question of whether Iraq should have an Islamic government. Among the Shia, only 29 percent responded in the affirmative, compared with almost 50 percent of the Sunni. The attitudes of the two groups are correlated with their attendance at religious services. In response to the question about frequency of attendance at Friday prayer during the previous four weeks, 48 percent of the Shia and 34 percent of the Sunni responded "never." Perhaps more importantly, leading Shia ayatollahs, such as Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani and the recently murdered Ayatollah ...