Bloody Ramadan in Iraq

Iraq’s day of carnage on Monday may result in this year’s Islamic fast month of Ramadan matching last year’s when it comes to deadly violence in the country, CNSNews.com reports. Some 70 people were killed in multiple attacks across the country, with the choice of targets pointing to the strong likelihood that al-Qaeda-linked Sunni militants were responsible. The surge of violence comes roughly halfway through Ramadan. When Ramadan began at the beginning of August, the secretary-general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) issued a statement calling on Muslims “to respect the sanctity of this blessed month and put an end to all forms of enmity and blood-shedding.”