Many Shiites support militias because of ineffective government

"Despite its new rogue fringe, Iraqi Shiites see the Mahdi militia as their most effective protector against the hostile Sunni groups that have slaughtered Shiites and driven them from their homes. Shiites say that as long as the government cannot keep them safe, they cannot support the disarming of militias.
. . . 'The support of the militias within the Shiite community comes from the failure of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defense and the coalition forces to provide security,” he [Qasim Dawood, former national security minister] said. “The creation of these militias comes as a reaction.'
But that reaction spilled over into open carnage in February, when Shiite mobs rampaged through Baghdad, dragging Sunnis out of their homes and mosques and killing them. Shiites’ patience had snapped, and they began to take systematic revenge."

source
The New York Times. Many Iraqis Look to Gunmen as Protectors. October 21, 2006.

posted: sunday, october 22, 2006, 1:28 AM ET
update: sunday, october 22, 2006, 2:55 AM ET