Shiite cleric refuses American contact

TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Political Discussion / Debate
-- Shiite cleric refuses American contact

Posted by LiquidX on Apr-24-2003 18:02:

Shiite cleric refuses American contact

quote:
Posted on Thu, Apr. 24, 2003

Shiite cleric refuses American contact
BASSEM MROUE
Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq -A senior Shiite Muslim cleric said Thursday that the sect's highest authority in Iraq will refuse any contact with Americans and said they should leave the country and let Iraqis form an Islamic state led by someone untainted by foreign connections.

"Shiite scholars will agree on the right person that runs Iraq's affairs," Sayyed Ali al-Kathimi al-Waethi said in an interview at his modest residence.

Al-Waethi represents the Hawza al-Ilmiya in Najaf, the supreme seat of Shiite learning, which issues directives that many Shiites follow without question and whose scholars are revered as spiritual authorities.

Since the toppling of Saddam Hussein's regime, Shiites, who make up 60 percent of Iraq's people, have moved vigorously to assert power in the country. The United States has watched nervously, fearing that the moves are influenced by predominantly Shiite Iran and that Iraq could become a similar theocracy.

Many Shiites, including the country's top cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, oppose the idea of an Islamic state that is run by clerics. Al-Waethi, who is affiliated with al-Sistani, said "religious scholars do not want to be in power. They will elect an observant person who is not like the former rulers."

"The right person does not have any connection with foreign countries," he said.

Al-Waethi said that the Hawza has not had contact with American forces or with retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner, the head of the Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, which is working to restore Iraq's services and develop an Iraqi-led interim government.

"We don't put our hand in the hand of the foreigners. People should rule themselves by themselves. The Americans should leave our country peacefully," al-Waethi said.

In the two weeks since U.S. forces entered Baghdad and Saddam disappeared from view, Shiites have, under Hawza direction, organized local committees, doled out funds to pay salaries, collected looted property and sent militias to secure hospitals and electric plants.

The Shiites - long repressed under Saddam's Sunni-dominated government and representing 60 percent of Iraq's population of 24 million - have divided their religious loyalties among at least three leaders. Yet their opposition to a prolonged U.S. presence on Iraqi soil appears uniform.

After toppling Saddam's regime, the Bush administration is keen on setting up a broad-based, democratic government in Iraq - with representation from Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds.

Asked if they will take part in any possible elections in the future, al-Waethi said "let us wait until it happens."

Thousands of Shiites demonstrated Wednesday against the United States during a pilgrimage in Karbala on Wednesday.

Garner on Thursday said he believed Iranian influence was behind such demonstrations and that suspicion of Americans would cool.

www.miamiherald.com

--- I GUESS that me and some others were right with this predictions... the US administration thought it would be easy eeh?!?! I guess someone up there needs some research before doing something to look good, if things get worst, it maaay worsten alot moooooreee... a big mess on the Middle East. I hope it doesn't though... lets see what the media does to destract everyone from the "REALITY". I really don't like how things MAY turn.. I hope my predictions are wrong though.

Posted by Renegade on Apr-25-2003 15:49:

The trouble that the US face with the Shiites is that unlike the Sunni muslims or - to a lesser extent - the Kurds, the Shiites are a very centralised people and will unite underneath their clerics for most causes. If the clerics decree that US occupation is unacceptable, we can expect public opinion in the Shiite south to fall that way as well (much in the same way - to use a crude example - that Catholics unite under papal edicts).

If the US can't sway the support of Shiite religious leaders (bearing in mind that the Iranian Shiite leaders - who must in some way influence the Iraqi Shiite leaders - are vastly anti-US for starters) then they face a highly cohesive group of 10 million plus people who will oppose their occupation and who will make it very difficult to create a unified, representative government of Iraq.

Just who was responsible for this ground-level intelligence again?

Posted by DrUg_Tit0 on Apr-25-2003 16:36:

Maybe the best solution for the US is to install a new Baath-like government which will oppress the shiites once again, and then get it's forces out of there before an uprising breaks out.

Posted by biznology on Apr-25-2003 23:27:

quote:
Originally posted by DrUg_Tit0
Maybe the best solution for the US is to install a new Baath-like government which will oppress the shiites once again, and then get it's forces out of there before an uprising breaks out.

touche|

Posted by DR86 on Apr-27-2003 04:32:

Posted by Cyrus King on Apr-27-2003 08:28:

This has turned into Operation: IRaqi BACKFIRE!!!!!

In any event, what is being predicted here, and what will most certainly take place, is what Chomsky repeatedly discussed in his interviews and articles during the UN resolution crisis. Again, Iran is next... Ive been saying this many times and I think it will inevitably happen if monkey bush is elected by stupid voters in the US.

Posted by DrUg_Tit0 on Apr-27-2003 13:14:

quote:
Originally posted by DrummeRaver86
You're kidding, right?

Yes. Although there's some truth in any joke.