At the celebration at the Shiite shrine, a cleric gave a scathing speech in the mosque's courtyard. He lashed out at the first Muslim caliphs, the founding fathers of Islam in Sunni eyes, and usurpers of power in Shiite eyes. Though he couched his attacks in the context and vocabulary of early Islamic history, it was clear that he had much more contemporary targets in his metaphorical crosshairs.

Correspondent Charles Levinson