Thread: Top Iraq clerics oppose armed resistance to US-led forces

Implementation of the above decisions:

http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/fc/World/.../iraq_al_sadr_5

Al-Sadr Calls for End of Fighting in Iraq

27 minutes ago Add Top Stories - AP to My Yahoo!


BAGHDAD, Iraq - Rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for his followers across Iraq (news - web sites) to stop fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces and said he planned to enter Iraqi politics in the coming days, an al-Sadr aide said Monday.


The announcement came three days after al-Sadr's Mahdi Army militia stopped fighting with U.S. and Iraqi forces in the holy city of Najaf under a peace deal brokered by religious authorities to end three weeks of fighting there.


But fighting continued in other areas of the country, and al-Sadr representatives and Iraqi government officials met Monday to try to negotiate a peace agreement to end fighting in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City.


Al-Sadr "has called for a halting of all military operations in Iraq," Naim Al-Kaabi, an al-Sadr aide in Baghdad, said Monday afternoon.


"This latest initiative shows that we want stability and security in this country by ending all confrontation in all parts of Iraq," said Sheik Raed al-Khadami, al-Sadr's spokesman in Baghdad. "Al-Sadr's office in Najaf will call within the next two days to join the political process."


The plan appeared to meet a key demand of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, who has called for the militia to be disbanded and turned into a political movement. Al-Sadr had previously resisted that demand.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...d=540&ncid=1480

Al-Sadr Calls on Militia to Stop Fighting

9 minutes ago

By TODD PITMAN, Associated Press Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called for his followers across Iraq (news - web sites) to end fighting against U.S. and Iraqi forces and is considering joining the political process, an al-Sadr aide said Monday.


Meanwhile, Iraqi oil exports came to a halt after a rash of insurgent attacks on the country's petroleum infrastructure, the country's main source of income, senior oil company officials said.


Oil prices edged higher in advance of the opening of trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. October contracts for light crude were up 26 cents at $43.44 a barrel. But that was well below peaks of over $48 a barrel in mid-August.


The announcement by al-Sadr came as his aides were trying to negotiate an end to fighting in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City and in the southern city of Basra, where clashes have continued even after a peace deal was reached in Najaf, the holy city where al-Sadr militiamen battled U.S. and Iraqi forces for three weeks.


Al-Sadr "has called for a halting of all military operations in Iraq, and we are studying the idea of joining the political process," said Naim al-Kaabi, an aide in Baghdad.


The announcement could provide a major boost to the government of interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi. Al-Sadr has fiercely opposed the continued U.S. presence in Iraq and has denounced Allawi's government as dependent on the Americans — but if he decides to join politics, it would suggest al-Sadr's acceptance of the U.S.-backed political process due to lead to elections in January.


Allawi has also demanded al-Sadr disband his Mahdi Army militia, but the aides did not say the cleric was considering doing so. The militia has emerged intact from the weeks of fighting with U.S. forces, and al-Sadr has gained popularity among some sectors of Shiites, particularly the poor.


"This latest initiative shows that we want stability and security in this country by ending all confrontation in all parts of Iraq," said Sheik Raed al-Khadami, al-Sadr's spokesman in Baghdad. "Al-Sadr's office in Najaf will call within the next two days to join the political process."


Al-Sadr visited the Imam Ali Shrine in the city of Najaf for the first time since his militia left the holy site of Friday after weeks of using as a stronghold and refuge during the fighting with the Americamns.


Al-Sadr asked religious authorities for permission to enter the shrine and made a brief visit on Monday, according to the office of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's top Shiite cleric.


Al-Kaabi, a member of al-Sadr's negotiating team in Baghdad, said he hoped the government and the militia would reach agreement Monday to end the violence in Sadr City. Mahdi Amry militiamen and U.S. troops battled in the mainly Shiite east Baghdad district on Saturday in fighitng that killed 10 people.


Uprisings by al-Sadr's fighters this month and in April increased the security problems faced by Allawi's government, on top of the Sunni Muslim-led insurgency that has plagued Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) more than a year ago.


Opposition fighters have been attacking oil pipelines in both the north and the south of the country for months. Late Sunday, oil ceased flowing from southern pipelines — which account for 90 percent of Iraq's exports.


Two senior officials of the South Oil Co., speaking Monday on condition of anonymity, said the lines were not likely to resume operations for at least a week.


Iraq's other export avenue, a northern pipeline to the Turkish Mediterranean port of Ceyhan, also carried no oil Monday, according to an oil official in Ceyhan.


Allawi condemned the pipeline attacks, saying they were making ordinary Iraqis suffer.


"This is causing a great loss for the Iraqi people in terms of revenues, which could be used in the reconstruction of the country and to pay the people and get the economy back on track again," Allawi said in an interview with CNN aired Monday.


A halt in southern oil exports costs Iraq about $60 million a day in lost income at current global crude prices, said Walid Khadduri, an oil expert who is chief editor of the Cyprus-based Middle East Economic Survey.

The latest strikes, which hit five pipelines linked to the southern Rumeila oil fields on Sunday, immediately shut down the Zubayr 1 pumping station, forcing officials to use reserves from storage tanks to keep exports flowing for several hours. The reserves ran out late Sunday, the South Oil Co. official said.

Before the attack, Iraq's exports from the south were about 600,000 barrels a day — a third the normal average of 1.8 million barrels a day due to a separate string of attacks early last week. The pipelines were still ablaze Monday, the official said.

Saboteurs last brought southern oil exports to a halt in June.

In Baghdad, insurgents fired three mortar rounds into an eastern neighborhood early Monday but there were no immediate reports of casualties, Interior Ministry spokesman Col. Adnan Abdul-Rahman.

South of the capital, gunmen opened fire on the motorcade of the government's top official in charge of Shiite religious affairs, Sheik Hassan Baraka al-Shami, wounding two of his bodyguards, his spokesman said Monday.

Al-Shami was on his way to a religious ceremony in the holy city of Karbala on Sunday when the attack occurred, spokesman Salah Abdul-Razzak said Monday.

North of the capital, unidentified gunmen shot and seriously wounded a woman working as a translator for the U.S. military in the city, her husband, Amer Abdul-Karim said.

I hope it works out, but there is still an unserved arrest warrant out for Sadr. I doubt things will remain peaceful when he is arrested.

The BBC Hardtalk with an Interim Govt Minister yesterday belied the impression that AL Sadr's case will be pursued notwithstanding the arrest warrant.

In fact, the Minister beat about the bush on this issue. There will be a flare up if he is arrested.

In another programme, it was suggested that it was in Iran's interest that the pot boils over so that there is unrest creating greater solidarity amongst the majority Shia population of Iraq as also because the US would have to use military force, there would be a great groundswell against the US Army and the interim govt.

As one is aware that even in the interim govt there are double agents like Chalabi was, who used the US and then sold the plans to the Iranians when he went out of favour! In short, each one is after power and Iraq be damned seems to be the message.

its so stupid, Al-Sadr is a time bomb clicking...its up to us to seize the right moment to disband his militia. Its freakin insane to allow militias in a highly unstble state like Iraq.

Al Sadr is to join politics and will contest the elections.

Theology and politics should be kept apart.

Could it be that this was his agenda that led him to foment trouble once Sistani was out of the way. I wonder did he not realise the innumerable lives lost in the pursuit of his political agenda?

Some times I wonder if Marx was correct that religion is the opinion of the masses, especially the illiterate masses.

err...if the Top Clergy really was against all the mayhem against the US forces, how come the beheading and the mayhem has not stopped?

Pious platitudes or mealy mouthed spewings?

Action is the bottomline and not hollow words.

Sometimes one wonders if Saddam's way was the right way for the Middle East since they apparently don't understand otherwise.

However, you have grant it to the terrorists that they are clever. They always hole up in religious shrines of importance especially when confronted and losing against law and order forces, not of their faith.

If I remember correctly, there was no huge hue and cry when the Saudis flushed out terrorists from their holiest of holy site!

I am sure if the top clergy meant what they are saying, then there would be no hassle to smoke the terrorist out.

Originally Posted by Ray

Sometimes one wonders if Saddam's way was the right way for the Middle East since they apparently don't understand otherwise.

I hope you're wrong, that's a pretty awful way to live.

Confed,

Confed,

Maybe I have not been clear.

If you look at regimes in the Middle East, there is a semblance of law and order. Yet, each govt, be it run by monarchies, dictatorship, theocracy with trappings of Parliament or whatever, is authorative and does not brook any nonsense (as they perceive) from the people. They rule with an ironfist in not a velvet glove, but with an armoured plated glove.

Democracy, as one understands, is something that will take time to ingest, digest and feel the difference, in such parts of the world.

Thus, it is a moot point if democracy and freedom (as the West understand) will salve the burdens that they have faced. If one goes by the contemporary environment, one wonders if these issues are being fathomed.

Therefore, it is no surprise that this freedom and democracy is actually leading to anarchy. What is required is an iron fist, the only tool they understand. Then will come democracy and freedom - slowly and surely.

If we look at Palestine, some elements have risen against Arafat, but they have not been able to make him abdicate or call the shots!

Originally Posted by Ray

err...if the Top Clergy really was against all the mayhem against the US forces, how come the beheading and the mayhem has not stopped?

Sir,

you are mixing between two opposing groups.

the beheadings have been carried our by groups that have publicly porclaimed their alleigance to Al Qaeda and OBL. They are wahabbi groups.

Shias are anathema to the wahabbis.

Infact, I don't have to remind anyone of the massacres against the Shias in afghanistan when these wahabbis had power.

This is very clear.

Its is true that the majority of Iraqis are Shia and that they would obey orders of the highest religious body; but the wahabbis WOULD NOT!

Please, do not mix the wahabbis with the shias .... thats like trying to mix oil and water.

Also, remember that shias have been bombed in Kerbala and Kufa by the same wahabbi groups that carry out these beheadings.


You cannot blame a group that has nothing to do with the killings for the actions of another cult that, if it has its way, would wipe the shias off the face of the world.

Vision,

You maybe right about the different sect, branches etc about Islam..

To us, if you profess the same religion, it is adequate since most of us don't understand the difference and none are inclined to waste time to study the same.

The same is with all religions. Eacg religions have differnt sects ( I know you are inimical to this word). For example one may feeel the intrepretation of Christainity is ONE. It is not. The approach amongst various denomination differs. Likewise with Hinduism or Buddhism. Yet, it is clubbed with the Catholics or the rabid stupidy of the VHP and others.

Yet, the world is great; we accomdate all idiots and fight it out in the cyberspace and suprisingly the real rabid pigs will shy away.

Wahabis are bums. I am all for Kashmiris. They are better than Hindus and Moslems. You must have read my published article on this very web. I admire your secularism and your approach to life. It is an example to the World. I have enough experience in Kashmir and maybe more than you, but if I am born again, let me have the beauty of the Kashmiri psyche of embracing all relgions as one's own.

I am fed up of religion. It is supposed to spread goodness, but what I see is hatred, hatred and harted.

Originally Posted by Ray

You must have read my published article on this very web.

With embarassing regret, I have not.

Will you be so kind as to provide me the link so that I may read it too.

Thanks.

It should be in the archives. Ask those who run it.

It caused a whole lot of hassles. I am not ready to go through it again.