'The spiritual leader of Iraq's Shiite majority urged politicians on Saturday to slash their benefits and improve public services, a day after thousands took part in a deadly nationwide "Day of Rage".
The cabinet is to dedicate its meeting on Sunday to the issues raised in the Friday protests, while a human rights group said investigations had to be opened into the deaths of demonstrators who rallied against high levels of corruption, unemployment and poor public services.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said the government needed to make progress on improving power supplies, providing food for the needy, creating jobs and combating corruption.
He also called on Iraq's leaders to "cancel unacceptable benefits" given to current and former politicians, and said they must "not invent unnecessary government positions that cost Iraq money".'
Showing posts with label Sistani. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sistani. Show all posts
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Friday, February 25, 2011
Shia clerics back right to peaceful protests
'Iraq’s senior Shiite Muslim clerics affirmed the right to peaceful demonstrations as Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told Iraqis to stay home after five people were reported killed in clashes with security forces.
“Demonstrations on the streets of Iraq are taking place because people are collectively saying that they want to be heard,” Sheikh Ahmed Al-Safi told thousands of Muslims gathered at Imam Hussein Square in the southern city of Karbala today. “The constitution guarantees the right of protests and it is the right of any person to protest peacefully.”
Al-Safi is a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, Iraq’s top Shiite religious leader.'
“Demonstrations on the streets of Iraq are taking place because people are collectively saying that they want to be heard,” Sheikh Ahmed Al-Safi told thousands of Muslims gathered at Imam Hussein Square in the southern city of Karbala today. “The constitution guarantees the right of protests and it is the right of any person to protest peacefully.”
Al-Safi is a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, Iraq’s top Shiite religious leader.'
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Angry Arab thinks Sistani sold Iraq to Americans
As'ad Abu Khara (Happiest Father of Shit), the Lebanese American professor who lives and works in California, believes that Sistani sold Iraq to America:
"In the contemporary history of the Arabs, the name Grand (not really) Ayatullah Sistani will go down on the same shameful list of people like Anwar Sadat, Salam Fayyad, Muhammad Dahlan, Rafiq Hariri, Bashir Gemayyel, King Fahd, King Khusayn, and Iyad Allawi. It will be remembered that Sistani sold Iraq to the American occupiers."
"In the contemporary history of the Arabs, the name Grand (not really) Ayatullah Sistani will go down on the same shameful list of people like Anwar Sadat, Salam Fayyad, Muhammad Dahlan, Rafiq Hariri, Bashir Gemayyel, King Fahd, King Khusayn, and Iyad Allawi. It will be remembered that Sistani sold Iraq to the American occupiers."
Monday, November 29, 2010
Sistani not an Iranian lackey
'Two cables from late 2009 described the limits of Iranian sway over its neighbor, with one saying that its "greatest political roadblock" for Iran was differences between Iranian religious leaders and Iraq's pre-eminent Shiite spiritual leader, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. In the March 2010 parliamentary polls, al-Sistani's call for an open-list ballot - allowing voters to select individual candidates - won out over Tehran's preference for a closed list, which would have favored established parties, the cable said.'
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Sistani tries to mediate
I'll never forget the 3arab jarab, like the Lebanese American professor As3ad Abu Khalil, who denounced Sistani because he did not use his great influence to encourage the Iraqi Shia to fight Americans.
'Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, may be exerting his influence with squabbling politicians to speed up the formation of a new government as the U.S. withdraws troops, a U.S. diplomat said.
“We know he is following this issue on a daily basis,” departing U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill said at a briefing in Washington yesterday. “I suspect any role he can play he is playing. I suspect he is playing it in the best way he can to ensure that there is a positive outcome here.”
Iraqis are facing uncertainty stemming from a five-month deadlock over the formation of a new government and a renewal in violence as the U.S. completes the pullout of its combat forces from Iraq this month. Sistani, revered by the Shiite community in Iraq, has said in the past all political groups should be included in the government in order to give Iraq stability.
Rarely seen in public, Sistani could be using his influence to end protracted talks that broke down Aug. 16 between the two top vote-getters in the March 7 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and former premier Ayad Allawi.
Sistani believes “that when the government is finally formed, you will see Sunnis, Shia and Kurds in that government together,” said Hill, who spent the past 16 months in Baghdad.'
'Iraq’s top Shiite Muslim cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, may be exerting his influence with squabbling politicians to speed up the formation of a new government as the U.S. withdraws troops, a U.S. diplomat said.
“We know he is following this issue on a daily basis,” departing U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Christopher Hill said at a briefing in Washington yesterday. “I suspect any role he can play he is playing. I suspect he is playing it in the best way he can to ensure that there is a positive outcome here.”
Iraqis are facing uncertainty stemming from a five-month deadlock over the formation of a new government and a renewal in violence as the U.S. completes the pullout of its combat forces from Iraq this month. Sistani, revered by the Shiite community in Iraq, has said in the past all political groups should be included in the government in order to give Iraq stability.
Rarely seen in public, Sistani could be using his influence to end protracted talks that broke down Aug. 16 between the two top vote-getters in the March 7 parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki and former premier Ayad Allawi.
Sistani believes “that when the government is finally formed, you will see Sunnis, Shia and Kurds in that government together,” said Hill, who spent the past 16 months in Baghdad.'
Wednesday, May 05, 2010
Sistani says no political groups should be excluded
"Ahmed Chalabi, the head of the Accountability and Justice Committee speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Baghdad, Iraq, Wednesday, May 5, 2010. Chalabi said Iraq's other political groups should be reassured by the fact that the Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani the revered Shiite cleric in Iraq who's essentially the head of the marjaiyah has said no political groups should be excluded from the political process."
Monday, January 25, 2010
Why Sunni Arabs dislike Sistani
Sistani aided the American occupation, according to many Arabs and Arab Americans. Sistani did not call for militant jihad, he did not encourage the Iraqi Shia to fight the Americans. The resistance-minded Arabs in general respect Muqtada al Sadr more than Sistani. Watch this short documentary about Sistani to understand why.
Arabs seem to praise only the Iraqis who fight Americans. Sistani does not want to fight the Americans.
I think if anybody can change Chalabi's mind on the Baathist ban, it is Sistani.
Arabs seem to praise only the Iraqis who fight Americans. Sistani does not want to fight the Americans.
I think if anybody can change Chalabi's mind on the Baathist ban, it is Sistani.
Saturday, January 09, 2010
How Sistani Helped America
As'ad Abu Khara (Happiest Father of Shit), also known as the "Angry Arab" wrote yesterday:
WOW. Sistani was the "biggest help" to the American occupation of Iraq, according to the clueless professor in California. How did this schmuck become a professor?? Did Sistani help Americans by promoting peace and repeatedly calling for an end to violence? Yes he did.
Or did Sistani help the American "occupation" by forbidding violent reprisals as Sunni Arab terrorists continue to mass murder Iraqis? Yes he did!
Sistani is the top Shia cleric who called for unity and said in 2007: "I appeal to you to leave aside your divisions with your Sunni brothers."
But As'ad Abu Khara has never mentioned Sistani's efforts to end the violence in Iraq.
Yes Sistani did help Americans to stabilize Iraq by encouraging the Shia to not attack innocent Sunni Arabs, even as Sunni Arab terrorism continues. Was that wrong of Sistani to do? Or is As'ad Abu Khara and the Sunni Arabs still pissed that Sistani, with his great influence in Iraq, did not call on the Iraqi Shia to kill Americans? Boo hoo, As'ad Abu Khara! Americans liberated Iraq (albeit 12 years late) when most Sunni Arabs wanted to see Iraqis to continue living under the Sunni boot of tyranny.
Americans hunted down the mass murderer of Iraqis and put him on trial for crimes against humanity. Americans stuck around to ensure that democracy, or a semblance of one, was established in Iraq as Sunni extremists tried to destroy it. Americans trained Iraqi security forces and helped Iraqis defeat a nasty Sunni insurgency that was willing to kill dozens of Iraqi children in order to kill one American.
Sunni Arab extremists (the "resistance") continue to mass murder Iraqis several months after US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities. The "resistance" is still trying to destroy democracy in Iraq. They still fight "occupation" by mass murdering Iraqis. But As'ad Abu Khara does not condemn the murderers. Instead he bitches about "occupation" and condemns the cleric who called for peace and unity in Iraq. These are our Arab "brothers". It makes me sick!
Anyone who doubts that Hizbullah is a Shi`ite sectarian party, should read this lousy statement by the party in defense of Grand Ayatullah Sistani--the biggest help to the American occupation of Iraq, more than `Allawi and Chalabi combined. The text of the statement is so reverentially phrased: it talks about Sistani and adds: "may his shadow last." The man does not even have a shadow: he donated it to the American occupation of the country. It states that harming Sisistani is like harming the party. There is no theory to explain this except the requirements of Shi`ite sectarian solidarity.
WOW. Sistani was the "biggest help" to the American occupation of Iraq, according to the clueless professor in California. How did this schmuck become a professor?? Did Sistani help Americans by promoting peace and repeatedly calling for an end to violence? Yes he did.
Or did Sistani help the American "occupation" by forbidding violent reprisals as Sunni Arab terrorists continue to mass murder Iraqis? Yes he did!
Sistani is the top Shia cleric who called for unity and said in 2007: "I appeal to you to leave aside your divisions with your Sunni brothers."
But As'ad Abu Khara has never mentioned Sistani's efforts to end the violence in Iraq.
Yes Sistani did help Americans to stabilize Iraq by encouraging the Shia to not attack innocent Sunni Arabs, even as Sunni Arab terrorism continues. Was that wrong of Sistani to do? Or is As'ad Abu Khara and the Sunni Arabs still pissed that Sistani, with his great influence in Iraq, did not call on the Iraqi Shia to kill Americans? Boo hoo, As'ad Abu Khara! Americans liberated Iraq (albeit 12 years late) when most Sunni Arabs wanted to see Iraqis to continue living under the Sunni boot of tyranny.
Americans hunted down the mass murderer of Iraqis and put him on trial for crimes against humanity. Americans stuck around to ensure that democracy, or a semblance of one, was established in Iraq as Sunni extremists tried to destroy it. Americans trained Iraqi security forces and helped Iraqis defeat a nasty Sunni insurgency that was willing to kill dozens of Iraqi children in order to kill one American.
Sunni Arab extremists (the "resistance") continue to mass murder Iraqis several months after US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities. The "resistance" is still trying to destroy democracy in Iraq. They still fight "occupation" by mass murdering Iraqis. But As'ad Abu Khara does not condemn the murderers. Instead he bitches about "occupation" and condemns the cleric who called for peace and unity in Iraq. These are our Arab "brothers". It makes me sick!
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
White House condemns Baghdad bombings
'The White House on Tuesday condemned the coordinated bombing attacks in Baghdad that killed more than 100 people.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Iraqi leaders who recently passed an elections law are moving the country in the right direction, and that ''there are clearly those who are threatened by that.''
The coordinated attacks struck Baghdad Tuesday, including two suicide car bombers and another vehicle that blew up near government sites. At least 118 were killed and hundreds wounded in the worst wave of violence in the capital in more than a month, authorities said.'
Iraqis eagerly await condemnation from our Arab brothers.
Meanwhile, the Angry Arab is angry about the alcohol ban and occupation, but I haven't heard him call Sistani a puppet in a few days, and I don't hear Arabs encouraging "resistance" in Iraq these days. That is considered progress in the Arab world.
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Iraqi leaders who recently passed an elections law are moving the country in the right direction, and that ''there are clearly those who are threatened by that.''
The coordinated attacks struck Baghdad Tuesday, including two suicide car bombers and another vehicle that blew up near government sites. At least 118 were killed and hundreds wounded in the worst wave of violence in the capital in more than a month, authorities said.'
Iraqis eagerly await condemnation from our Arab brothers.
Meanwhile, the Angry Arab is angry about the alcohol ban and occupation, but I haven't heard him call Sistani a puppet in a few days, and I don't hear Arabs encouraging "resistance" in Iraq these days. That is considered progress in the Arab world.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Angry Arabs not angry about Arab hypocrisy
I want to document the apparent lack of anger or even awareness among Arab intellectuals at Arab hypocrisy. The Angry Arab wrote today 'Qatari government hearts Isarel': '"Qatar to allow Israeli football players if it wins World Cup bid". Make no mistake about it: all lousy Arab regimes would beg for peace for Israel to please the US.'
The Angry Arab has not commented on the difference between the way Arabs have treated Qatar and the way they've treated the new Iraq and its government. The Arab "resistance" have killed tens of thousands of Iraqis since the overthrow of the tyrant Saddam and his murderous regime. More than 1,100 suicide bombers, most of them non-Iraqi Arabs, have blown themselves up in Iraq since 2003. They continue to attack Iraqi security forces, and I still remember the comments on the blogosphere by Arabs from all over the world who believed that it was right to attack Iraqi security forces, because Iraqi security forces work with the infidel occupier. But the Arab resistance has never attacked Qatari security forces like they've attacked Iraqi security forces.
The rules seem to apply only to Iraq, and they definitely do not apply to Qatar. There have been no bombings of Qatari police stations, no bombings of markets in Qatar, where there are 10 Starbucks and one very large and important American military base from which the US launched two wars on Iraq. This bit of Arab hypocrisy does not seem to anger the Angry Arab. Or maybe he didn't notice.
I was curious if the Angry Arab has ever mentioned CENTCOM on his blog, so I searched for it and found this post:
So the only thing As'ad Abu Khara has to say about CENTCOM is that its commander met Abdul Aziz al Hakim, who was a Shi'ite version of Zarqawi, according to the Angry professor. Is this guy really a professor? I don't remember Hakim writing a letter encouraging the Shia to mass murder Sunni Arabs, nor do I remember the Badr Brigade bombing markets in Sunni neighborhoods, but we're supposed to believe that Hakim was as bad as Zarqawi.
This is the same professor who has attacked Sistani many times. Sistani is the cleric who repeatedly called for an end to the violence in Iraq and appealed for unity between Sunna and Shia. In one post the Angry Arab wrote: 'the two people most responsible for sectarian conflict in the Middle East are the Saudi King and the Grand (not at all) Ayatullah, Sistani. (You can add others like Al-Qa`idah, the Badr militia, Hariri family, etc).'
No mention of CENTCOM in Qatar and no mention of Arab hypocrisy. OK!
The Angry Arab has not commented on the difference between the way Arabs have treated Qatar and the way they've treated the new Iraq and its government. The Arab "resistance" have killed tens of thousands of Iraqis since the overthrow of the tyrant Saddam and his murderous regime. More than 1,100 suicide bombers, most of them non-Iraqi Arabs, have blown themselves up in Iraq since 2003. They continue to attack Iraqi security forces, and I still remember the comments on the blogosphere by Arabs from all over the world who believed that it was right to attack Iraqi security forces, because Iraqi security forces work with the infidel occupier. But the Arab resistance has never attacked Qatari security forces like they've attacked Iraqi security forces.
The rules seem to apply only to Iraq, and they definitely do not apply to Qatar. There have been no bombings of Qatari police stations, no bombings of markets in Qatar, where there are 10 Starbucks and one very large and important American military base from which the US launched two wars on Iraq. This bit of Arab hypocrisy does not seem to anger the Angry Arab. Or maybe he didn't notice.
I was curious if the Angry Arab has ever mentioned CENTCOM on his blog, so I searched for it and found this post:
'A US-supported, Shi`ite version of Zarqawi: "The Centcom commander met first with Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a languid Shiite cleric who is the leader of Iraq's biggest Shiite party. Hakim, flanked by the chief of his group's Badr Organization militia, told Fallon that "the real problem in Iraq is the Sunnis." Even if the Shiites made concessions to the Sunnis by sharing oil revenue or easing de-Baathification, Hakim said, "the enemies will never accept."" '
So the only thing As'ad Abu Khara has to say about CENTCOM is that its commander met Abdul Aziz al Hakim, who was a Shi'ite version of Zarqawi, according to the Angry professor. Is this guy really a professor? I don't remember Hakim writing a letter encouraging the Shia to mass murder Sunni Arabs, nor do I remember the Badr Brigade bombing markets in Sunni neighborhoods, but we're supposed to believe that Hakim was as bad as Zarqawi.
This is the same professor who has attacked Sistani many times. Sistani is the cleric who repeatedly called for an end to the violence in Iraq and appealed for unity between Sunna and Shia. In one post the Angry Arab wrote: 'the two people most responsible for sectarian conflict in the Middle East are the Saudi King and the Grand (not at all) Ayatullah, Sistani. (You can add others like Al-Qa`idah, the Badr militia, Hariri family, etc).'
No mention of CENTCOM in Qatar and no mention of Arab hypocrisy. OK!
Monday, May 19, 2008
Angry and Ignorant
The angry professor in California says, without elaborating: "the two people most responsible for sectarian conflict in the Middle East are the Saudi King and the Grand (not at all) Ayatullah, Sistani."
I've written a lot about Sistani and quoted him many times on my blog, and while I disagree with his fundamentalist views, especially with regard to his views on homosexuality, I do not understand how Sistani has been responsible for sectarian conflict in the Middle East. Sistani has repeatedly appealed for unity and peace between Sunni Arabs and Shia.
I've written a lot about Sistani and quoted him many times on my blog, and while I disagree with his fundamentalist views, especially with regard to his views on homosexuality, I do not understand how Sistani has been responsible for sectarian conflict in the Middle East. Sistani has repeatedly appealed for unity and peace between Sunni Arabs and Shia.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Sistani repeats his call for unity and an end to violence
As Omar of 24 steps forward and 48 steps backward to "liberty" claims to be able to unite Iraqis, Sistani repeats his call to unite Iraqis:
Iraq's top Shiite cleric calls for unity
NAJAF, Iraq (AP) — Iraq's top Shiite cleric renewed his call for an end to sectarian violence in the country and for Sunni and Shiite Muslims to unite, according to a Sunni cleric who met him Tuesday in this holy city south of Baghdad.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's plea for peace and unity came as a group of Sunni and Shiite clerics met in Najaf in the latest attempt by clerics from both sects to stem the violence. The meeting was sponsored by the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Iraq's most influential Shiite party, which is closely linked to al-Sistani.
Later, Khaled al-Mulla, one of the 10-member Sunni delegation, said the Iranian-born religious leader called for solidarity between the two sects and an end to the bloodshed, which has intensified after a major Shiite shrine north of Baghdad was bombed in February 2006 by Sunni militants.
"I am a servant of all Iraqis," al-Mulla quoted al-Sistani as saying.
The wave of sectarian killings that followed the Samarra bombing continues until today, but has significantly abated since a major Iraqi-U.S. security plan was launched nine months ago. continued
Also: Top cleric al-Sistani urges Shiites to protect Sunnis
Najaf, Nov 27, (VOI)- Top Shiite Cleric Ali al-Sistani urged Shiites to protect their Sunni brothers and defend them, head of south Iraq's scholars body said on Tuesday.
Shiekh Khaled al-Mulla said at a press conference held in Najaf after the visit made by a delegation of Sunni and Shiite clerics to al-Sistani, "The top cleric asserted on the sanctity of Iraq's blood, urging Shiites to protect and defend Sunnis."
Sistani said in the two-hour meeting "I'm a servant for all Iraqis and there is no difference between Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, or Christians."
"Sistani also warned Iraq's clerics of enemies' plots to differentiate between Iraqis," Sheikh Mulla said.
Preparations are currently underway to hold the first national meeting between Shiite and Sunni clerics in the city of Najaf. The delegation consisted of clerics from Iraq's Kurdistan, Basra, al-Nasriyah, and Falluja.
Najaf lies 180 km south of Baghdad.
Iraq's top Shiite cleric calls for unity
NAJAF, Iraq (AP) — Iraq's top Shiite cleric renewed his call for an end to sectarian violence in the country and for Sunni and Shiite Muslims to unite, according to a Sunni cleric who met him Tuesday in this holy city south of Baghdad.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani's plea for peace and unity came as a group of Sunni and Shiite clerics met in Najaf in the latest attempt by clerics from both sects to stem the violence. The meeting was sponsored by the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council, Iraq's most influential Shiite party, which is closely linked to al-Sistani.
Later, Khaled al-Mulla, one of the 10-member Sunni delegation, said the Iranian-born religious leader called for solidarity between the two sects and an end to the bloodshed, which has intensified after a major Shiite shrine north of Baghdad was bombed in February 2006 by Sunni militants.
"I am a servant of all Iraqis," al-Mulla quoted al-Sistani as saying.
The wave of sectarian killings that followed the Samarra bombing continues until today, but has significantly abated since a major Iraqi-U.S. security plan was launched nine months ago. continued
Also: Top cleric al-Sistani urges Shiites to protect Sunnis
Najaf, Nov 27, (VOI)- Top Shiite Cleric Ali al-Sistani urged Shiites to protect their Sunni brothers and defend them, head of south Iraq's scholars body said on Tuesday.
Shiekh Khaled al-Mulla said at a press conference held in Najaf after the visit made by a delegation of Sunni and Shiite clerics to al-Sistani, "The top cleric asserted on the sanctity of Iraq's blood, urging Shiites to protect and defend Sunnis."
Sistani said in the two-hour meeting "I'm a servant for all Iraqis and there is no difference between Sunnis, Shiites, Kurds, or Christians."
"Sistani also warned Iraq's clerics of enemies' plots to differentiate between Iraqis," Sheikh Mulla said.
Preparations are currently underway to hold the first national meeting between Shiite and Sunni clerics in the city of Najaf. The delegation consisted of clerics from Iraq's Kurdistan, Basra, al-Nasriyah, and Falluja.
Najaf lies 180 km south of Baghdad.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Sistani appeals for unity
09/26/2007
Al Sistani appeal[s], Iraqis leave aside your divisions
The highest Shiite religious authority accuses the media of exaggerating the number of victims and speaking of confessional war. But in the interim, Moqtada Al Sadr's men tour bordering nations to explain their anti-American strategy
Al Sistani appeal[s], Iraqis leave aside your divisions
The highest Shiite religious authority accuses the media of exaggerating the number of victims and speaking of confessional war. But in the interim, Moqtada Al Sadr's men tour bordering nations to explain their anti-American strategy
Baghdad (AsiaNews/Agencies) – An appeal to Iraqi's to "forget their divisions" was launched today by the grand ayatollah Al Sistani, the country's top religious authority for Shiite Islam. The Ayatollahs peace initiative came one day after a campaign launched by supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, drawn from the extremist fringes of the Shiite Islam, who are touring neighbouring Arab states to promote their anti-American campaign.
"Your nation is rich and full of resources – the official statement released by Al Sistani reads – I appeal to you to leave aside your divisions with your Sunni brothers". The statement clarifies that the grand ayatollah spoke these words yesterday, speaking to the tribal chiefs in the holy Shiite city of Najaf, 150 kilometres south of Baghdad. "Be as a great mountain – he added – immoveable before the attempts of some media to attack our unity, exaggerating the number of the victims and speaking of confessional war".
Ali Sistani's appeal comes however at a very particular moment of the Iraqi conflict. On the one hand tribal leaders, Shiite and Sunni are pondering the possibility of an alliance against terrorism – in a time of relative calm – while on the other there is an ongoing struggle within the Shiite community for overall control. In the background, the chronic weakness of the government and the increasing number of refugees. According to official data released by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (Unhcr), the numbers continue to rise: about 4.2 million Iraqi's have been uprooted from their homes.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Sistani Calls For Self-Restraint
I wonder why so many Arabs do not like Sistani, given that he has called on the Shia to exercise self-restraint after so many bombings that have killed thousands of Iraqi Shia.
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on "believers to exercise self-restraint and avoid any vengeful act that would target innocent people or the holy places of others."
This combination of 3 images shows the stages of destruction of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra, Iraq. From top to bottom: a Feb. 2004 photo of the shrine, the shrine in Feb. 2006 following an explosion which destroyed its dome, and a Wednesday, June 13, 2007 view after insurgents blew up its two minarets. Saboteurs blew up the two minarets of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra early Wednesday, in a repeat of the 2006 attack that shattered its famous golden dome and unleashed a wave of retaliatory sectarian violence that still bloodies Iraq. (AP Photos)
Iraq's top Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on "believers to exercise self-restraint and avoid any vengeful act that would target innocent people or the holy places of others."
This combination of 3 images shows the stages of destruction of the Askariya Shrine in Samarra, Iraq. From top to bottom: a Feb. 2004 photo of the shrine, the shrine in Feb. 2006 following an explosion which destroyed its dome, and a Wednesday, June 13, 2007 view after insurgents blew up its two minarets. Saboteurs blew up the two minarets of a revered Shiite shrine in Samarra early Wednesday, in a repeat of the 2006 attack that shattered its famous golden dome and unleashed a wave of retaliatory sectarian violence that still bloodies Iraq. (AP Photos)
Friday, May 11, 2007
Sistani Warns Against Haste in Passing Oil Law
I wonder if the Arabs will be more pleased with Sistani after this. I doubt it.
Sistani Warns against Haste in Passing Legistlation including the Oil Law
Mr. Ibadi disclosed that Sayid Ali Al Sistani, the highest religious authority in Iraq, has warned against any rush in passing outstanding legistlation, which includes, by implication, the controversial Draft Oil Law. This major setback to the American mounting pressure on the Iraqi Parliament to pass the Draft Law comes at a time of rising opposition among the elite community of Iraqi Oil experts, political parties of various orientations, including the Accord Front, which represents several groups of religious forces.
It appears now there is wide and growing opposition to the crude American pressure nearing unusual unanimity in rejection of American plans to grab Iraq's rich oil reserves.
Crude pressure laid on by the bucket full when Cheney arrived in Baghdad in an unannounced visit this week. According to BBC News, "US officials said Mr Cheney wanted faster progress on the fair division of oil revenues and the passage of laws to reinstate former Baath Party officials." It does seems that the US is in rush to push through the Oil Law. The BBC went on to report that: "Ambassador Crocker said the vice-president would try to dissuade Iraqi politicians from taking a two-month holiday this summer." For the Iraqi parliament to take a two-month vacation in summer is impossible to understand," he said, given the "major effort" being made by US and Iraqi security forces."
Tuesday, April 03, 2007
Sistani Rejects Plan to Permit Former Baathists to Work for Govt
I have agreed with Sistani on just about everything except his fundamentalist religious beliefs. I do not agree with him on this. Former Baathists without blood on their hands should be allowed to work for the Iraqi government.
Shiite Cleric Opposes U.S. Plan to Permit Former Baath Party Members to Join Government
By EDWARD WONG
BAGHDAD, April 2 — The most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq has rejected an American-backed proposal to allow thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party to return to government service, an aide to the cleric said Monday.
The rejection by the cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, appears certain to fuel hostility between the majority Shiites and the former ruling Sunni Arabs, since many Sunni Arabs say they were unfairly purged from the government in the clampdown on the Baath Party.
The Americans say a partial reversal of the de-Baathification process, which began in 2003, is one of the most crucial steps the Iraqi government can take in wooing back disaffected Sunni Arabs and draining the Sunni-led insurgency of its zealotry. The White House has repeatedly told the Iraqi government that the process must be changed.
The latest proposal was announced by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani on March 26 at the strong urging of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the senior American envoy to Iraq, who left his job the same day. American officials oversaw the drafting of the proposal.
Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican and candidate for president who advocates a troop increase in Iraq, said in an upbeat news conference here on Sunday that the Iraqis had demonstrated political progress by committing to revising the de-Baathification law.
But an aide to Ayatollah Sistani said Monday that there was a “general feeling of rejection” over the proposal.
Ayatollah Sistani, who lives in the holy city of Najaf, generally does not issue proclamations himself, preferring to make his edicts known through his aides or other Iraqi officials. His word is considered sacrosanct not only among the Shiites in Iraq but also among those throughout the world, so his rejection of the draft law means it has virtually no chance of passage.
The comments from the ayatollah’s office came a day after he met with Ahmad Chalabi, the former Pentagon favorite and head of the de-Baathification commission, who has opposed any serious attempt to roll back the purging of former Baathists. After the meeting on Sunday, Mr. Chalabi said at a news conference that Ayatollah Sistani was aware of the law and that he had told Mr. Chalabi that it “would not be the final one and there would be other drafts.”
The Bush administration urged the Iraqi government to follow through with the revision of the law. A senior official said Monday that he hoped that Mr. Maliki would work with Ayatollah Sistani to figure out a way to differentiate between Saddam Hussein loyalists and lower-level Baath Party functionaries. “Among the political benchmarks which the Iraqis themselves have set, this is among the most difficult,” the official said.
News of the rejection drew harsh criticism from Sunni Arab leaders on Monday.
“In my opinion, our country is now one led by the clerics, and the new political process in Iraq is made to allow those clerics and religious parties to govern Iraq,” said Salim Abdullah, a legislator from the main Sunni Arab bloc in Parliament. “The Iraqis will feel the consequences of that.”
Officials from the secular party of Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister, also expressed profound disappointment. Ibrahim al-Janabi, a legislator and senior aide to Mr. Allawi, said Monday that the lobbying of Ayatollah Sistani by Shiites like Mr. Chalabi “is the weapon of losers.”
“When they feel they might lose out, they go to the ayatollahs to get support to push through their goals,” he said.
The upheaval over the draft law transpired on a day of fiery violence in Iraq. At least 59 Iraqis were killed or discovered dead in various attacks, and at least three American soldiers and a British soldier were killed in four separate attacks on Sunday and Monday, military officials said Monday.
The deadliest assault on Monday took place in Kirkuk, where a suicide truck bomb exploded at a police station next to a primary school, killing at least 12 Iraqis and one American soldier, and wounding at least 200 others, police officials and the American military said. Dozens of wounded children could be seen in the front yard of the local hospital, awaiting treatment.
The de-Baathification commission led by Mr. Chalabi was put in place by L. Paul Bremer III, the American proconsul who governed Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004. Mr. Bremer’s very first order was to purge former Baathists from government, a task that Mr. Chalabi’s commission passionately carried out. Mr. Bremer also disbanded the Iraqi Army, which, along with the de-Baathification order, has been widely criticized as fueling the insurgency.
But before handing over power in 2004, Mr. Bremer scaled back some of the de-Baathification policy in an effort to bring back teachers, scientists and others with technical expertise, as well as former army officers who could help rebuild Iraq’s moribund security forces.
Many Sunni Arabs say the reversal has to happen on a much wider scale. In a farewell interview, Mr. Khalilzad said militant Sunnis had pointed to a rollback of de-Baathification as a necessary condition for them to lay down arms.
The proposal announced last week, which was overseen by Mr. Khalilzad, offers relatively generous terms. It decreed that all former Baathists would be able to collect their pensions and that thousands more would be allowed to hold government jobs. The law would also set a three-month time limit for Iraqi citizens to bring lawsuits against former Baathists.
Advisers to Mr. Maliki, a devout Shiite, said the prime minister had been skeptical that conservative Shiite leaders would support the measure. Before he took office, Mr. Maliki was one of the most vocal champions of the purging of former Baathists. Critics suggested that he might have made the announcement last week simply to appear to be offering an olive branch to Sunni Arabs.
Shiite Cleric Opposes U.S. Plan to Permit Former Baath Party Members to Join Government
By EDWARD WONG
BAGHDAD, April 2 — The most powerful Shiite cleric in Iraq has rejected an American-backed proposal to allow thousands of former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party to return to government service, an aide to the cleric said Monday.
The rejection by the cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, appears certain to fuel hostility between the majority Shiites and the former ruling Sunni Arabs, since many Sunni Arabs say they were unfairly purged from the government in the clampdown on the Baath Party.
The Americans say a partial reversal of the de-Baathification process, which began in 2003, is one of the most crucial steps the Iraqi government can take in wooing back disaffected Sunni Arabs and draining the Sunni-led insurgency of its zealotry. The White House has repeatedly told the Iraqi government that the process must be changed.
The latest proposal was announced by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani on March 26 at the strong urging of Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad, the senior American envoy to Iraq, who left his job the same day. American officials oversaw the drafting of the proposal.
Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican and candidate for president who advocates a troop increase in Iraq, said in an upbeat news conference here on Sunday that the Iraqis had demonstrated political progress by committing to revising the de-Baathification law.
But an aide to Ayatollah Sistani said Monday that there was a “general feeling of rejection” over the proposal.
Ayatollah Sistani, who lives in the holy city of Najaf, generally does not issue proclamations himself, preferring to make his edicts known through his aides or other Iraqi officials. His word is considered sacrosanct not only among the Shiites in Iraq but also among those throughout the world, so his rejection of the draft law means it has virtually no chance of passage.
The comments from the ayatollah’s office came a day after he met with Ahmad Chalabi, the former Pentagon favorite and head of the de-Baathification commission, who has opposed any serious attempt to roll back the purging of former Baathists. After the meeting on Sunday, Mr. Chalabi said at a news conference that Ayatollah Sistani was aware of the law and that he had told Mr. Chalabi that it “would not be the final one and there would be other drafts.”
The Bush administration urged the Iraqi government to follow through with the revision of the law. A senior official said Monday that he hoped that Mr. Maliki would work with Ayatollah Sistani to figure out a way to differentiate between Saddam Hussein loyalists and lower-level Baath Party functionaries. “Among the political benchmarks which the Iraqis themselves have set, this is among the most difficult,” the official said.
News of the rejection drew harsh criticism from Sunni Arab leaders on Monday.
“In my opinion, our country is now one led by the clerics, and the new political process in Iraq is made to allow those clerics and religious parties to govern Iraq,” said Salim Abdullah, a legislator from the main Sunni Arab bloc in Parliament. “The Iraqis will feel the consequences of that.”
Officials from the secular party of Ayad Allawi, the former prime minister, also expressed profound disappointment. Ibrahim al-Janabi, a legislator and senior aide to Mr. Allawi, said Monday that the lobbying of Ayatollah Sistani by Shiites like Mr. Chalabi “is the weapon of losers.”
“When they feel they might lose out, they go to the ayatollahs to get support to push through their goals,” he said.
The upheaval over the draft law transpired on a day of fiery violence in Iraq. At least 59 Iraqis were killed or discovered dead in various attacks, and at least three American soldiers and a British soldier were killed in four separate attacks on Sunday and Monday, military officials said Monday.
The deadliest assault on Monday took place in Kirkuk, where a suicide truck bomb exploded at a police station next to a primary school, killing at least 12 Iraqis and one American soldier, and wounding at least 200 others, police officials and the American military said. Dozens of wounded children could be seen in the front yard of the local hospital, awaiting treatment.
The de-Baathification commission led by Mr. Chalabi was put in place by L. Paul Bremer III, the American proconsul who governed Iraq from May 2003 to June 2004. Mr. Bremer’s very first order was to purge former Baathists from government, a task that Mr. Chalabi’s commission passionately carried out. Mr. Bremer also disbanded the Iraqi Army, which, along with the de-Baathification order, has been widely criticized as fueling the insurgency.
But before handing over power in 2004, Mr. Bremer scaled back some of the de-Baathification policy in an effort to bring back teachers, scientists and others with technical expertise, as well as former army officers who could help rebuild Iraq’s moribund security forces.
Many Sunni Arabs say the reversal has to happen on a much wider scale. In a farewell interview, Mr. Khalilzad said militant Sunnis had pointed to a rollback of de-Baathification as a necessary condition for them to lay down arms.
The proposal announced last week, which was overseen by Mr. Khalilzad, offers relatively generous terms. It decreed that all former Baathists would be able to collect their pensions and that thousands more would be allowed to hold government jobs. The law would also set a three-month time limit for Iraqi citizens to bring lawsuits against former Baathists.
Advisers to Mr. Maliki, a devout Shiite, said the prime minister had been skeptical that conservative Shiite leaders would support the measure. Before he took office, Mr. Maliki was one of the most vocal champions of the purging of former Baathists. Critics suggested that he might have made the announcement last week simply to appear to be offering an olive branch to Sunni Arabs.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Political Solutions
I have heard a lot about the need for political solutions lately. It's strange, as if the Iraqi government has not been working on political solutions. Iraqis are becoming more polarized, they say, but I suppose that almost four years of bombings and mass murder have a polarizing effect.
Exactly what else is there to discuss? What is there that the Iraqi government has not done in terms of national reconciliation? So far, I have seen many efforts on the part of the Iraqi government and Shia clerics to reconcile with the Sunni insurgency:
Iraqis agree to share oil revenues with all provinces based on population
Iraqi PM Offers Amnesty For Peace
Shia pilgrims call for end to violence
Sistani calls for calm and unity
What else do insurgents want?
Exactly what else is there to discuss? What is there that the Iraqi government has not done in terms of national reconciliation? So far, I have seen many efforts on the part of the Iraqi government and Shia clerics to reconcile with the Sunni insurgency:
Iraqis agree to share oil revenues with all provinces based on population
Iraqi PM Offers Amnesty For Peace
Shia pilgrims call for end to violence
Sistani calls for calm and unity
What else do insurgents want?
from the February 05, 2007 edition
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Iraq's Sunni-Shiite anguish grows
As sectarian violence continues, the US military cautions that results of its Baghdad troop 'surge' will take time.
By Dan Murphy | Staff writer of The Christian Science MonitorCAIRO - When National Intelligence Director John Negroponte briefed the Senate last week on Iraq, he cautioned lawmakers that the hope for stability there rests on quelling unabated sectarian violence.
That view was reflected in a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE), parts of which were declassified Friday, that describes an Iraq Army and police bedeviled by the sectarian allegiances of their members. The report deemed it unlikely that these forces will move effectively against militias in the next 18 months – particularly against the Shiite groups with ties to Iraq's ruling parties.
Indeed, US military officials cautioned patience – despite the deployment of an additional 21,500 troops to Iraq.
"[That] will not turn the security situation overnight," Maj. Gen. William Caldwell said in Baghdad. "Iraqi forces suffer deficiencies in leadership and logistics. It will take more than two months to solve these problems."
The urgent need to address the strife that flows in Baghdad's streets as well as its political corridors was painfully evident in a devastating weekend attack.
The deadliest single suicide bombing since the war began hit a crowded Shiite market on Saturday, leaving at least 135 Iraqis dead.
Overall, the assessment from the NIE, a report from the US intelligence community, was bleak, especially in its evaluation of the ability of Iraqi security forces to get its arms around the burgeoning violence.
The violence is also leading to even greater polarization of Iraqi society, both among the man on the street and the country's political leaders, the report found.
Also, it underscored what experts and US government analysts have been saying for some time – that the solution to Iraq's problems rests on the creation of a national compact that will involve compromise for the country's Shiites, Sunnis, and Kurds. It noted that the trend is in the other direction."
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Sistani Calls for Calm, Unity
I don't understand why so many people bash Sistani.
Shia Spiritual Leader Calls for Calm, Unity
Sistani Denounces Info Outlets for False Reports Attributed to Him
Posted 2 hr. 52 min. ago
Baghdad, Feb 3, (VOI) - Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Saturday for closing ranks and avoiding sectarian sentiments "that seem insoluble for centuries now." "There should be no arguments outside honest scientific research over this difference in beliefs now that they do not impinge on the pillars of the faith," said the top Shiite cleric in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Sistani urged stronger bonds of amity among the sons of one nation and peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect away from any sectarian sentiments. "Anyone keen on the good of Islam and Muslims has to do their best to bring them together and lessen tensions resulting from some political disputes that would benefit only the enemies of Islam," said Sistani. He noted that some have been recently working on nourishing sectarian differences among Muslims, taking advantage of political conflicts and hectic power struggle. The statement, issued by Sistani's office, criticized some satellite stations and web sites which "give weird fatwas insulting certain Muslim groups" and falsely attribute them to Sistani only to spark sectarian troubles.
Shia Spiritual Leader Calls for Calm, Unity
Sistani Denounces Info Outlets for False Reports Attributed to Him
Posted 2 hr. 52 min. ago
Baghdad, Feb 3, (VOI) - Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called on Saturday for closing ranks and avoiding sectarian sentiments "that seem insoluble for centuries now." "There should be no arguments outside honest scientific research over this difference in beliefs now that they do not impinge on the pillars of the faith," said the top Shiite cleric in a statement received by the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI). Sistani urged stronger bonds of amity among the sons of one nation and peaceful coexistence based on mutual respect away from any sectarian sentiments. "Anyone keen on the good of Islam and Muslims has to do their best to bring them together and lessen tensions resulting from some political disputes that would benefit only the enemies of Islam," said Sistani. He noted that some have been recently working on nourishing sectarian differences among Muslims, taking advantage of political conflicts and hectic power struggle. The statement, issued by Sistani's office, criticized some satellite stations and web sites which "give weird fatwas insulting certain Muslim groups" and falsely attribute them to Sistani only to spark sectarian troubles.
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