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| Iraq | |
| Najaf cleric urges Iraqis not to hinder US troops | |
| 2003-04-03 | |
| From Reuters via the Washington Post. Scroll down from the link -- it's the third entry: A U.S. commander in the Gulf said on Thursday that a prominent Shi'ite Muslim cleric in the holy city of Najaf had issued an edict urging Iraqis to remain calm and not to hinder U.S. invading forces. "A prominent cleric, Grand Ayatollah Sistani, who had been placed under house arrest by the regime for a considerable period of time, issued a fatwa," Brigadier General Vincent Brooks told a news conference in Qatar. Apparently the Saddamites had kept this guy cooped up for ten years or more. The US approached him respectfully and asked for his help and input. Seems to have paid off. "And it was done this morning, instructing the population to remain calm and to not interfere with coalition actions. We believe this is a very significant turning point and another indicator that the Iraqi regime is approaching its end." A Reuters correspondent in Baghdad just one week ago saw a fatwa issued by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani still pinned to the door of a main Shi'ite mosque in the capital saying Iraqis would "stand together against any invasion."
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| Posted by:jrosevear |
| #10 I'm with Yank. Well played! Whoever was in charge who thought this up should get a promotion. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-04-03 18:50:52 |
| #9 This guy is the guardian of one of Shiite Islam's holiest places. He saw Sunni Iraqi's using the holy place as a fort, and infidels refusing to engage them for fear of hurting the site. The infidels then asked him for help, restoring his place of dignity before the locals. This was very well played by the coalition. Bravo. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-04-03 15:13:15 |
| #8 An overwhelming majority of these mad mullahs have been inciting genocide against non-Muslims for years. They, including the one's who are suddenly interested in their own survival, can go to hell sooner rather than later. |
| Posted by: Anonon 2003-04-03 14:31:40 |
| #7 We have to guard against perceiving what we see as what we wish for. There are going to be some ugly realities surfacing post Saddam. There has been some 30 years of double-dealing, treachery, intimidation, killing, etc etc, which has turned normal human interaction and values upside down. It will take a generation at least to un-f--k this society, and I am not being ethnocentric. Now, on the matter of Fatwas, I am willing to delegate the issuance of same to Grand Ayatollah Sistani for a while, and see if he can shoulder the Fatwanic responsibilities. I will be closely watching, however, some 5,000 yards off, using heavy lenses, so let's see some good quality. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2003-04-03 10:20:04 |
| #6 I'm leery about anybody with a turban - but we'll take what we can get, and discard it when it doesn't work anymore. |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-04-03 09:59:15 |
| #5 I'm a little leery about this guy. Time to invoke a little Vito Corleone wisdom: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. |
| Posted by: Raj 2003-04-03 09:08:44 |
| #4 This CAN'T be. Every "journalist" I hear says Iraq is going to be the West Bank, Vietnam. Iraqis don't want us there. It's been ten days and we've lost the war...and the hearts and minds....we've killed all the civilians already....we're invading conquerors, not liberators, my god, the Arab street, the Arab street...I want my mommy......... |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-04-03 09:00:05 |
| #3 Paul, get that damned turban off your head and quit horsing around! |
| Posted by: Fred 2003-04-03 08:29:47 |
| #2 Fatwa says fight us, fatwa says don't fight us. Make up your minds, will ya? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-04-03 08:19:30 |
| #1 Freedom has a way of generating gratitude (unless you're French). |
| Posted by: Doug De Bono 2003-04-03 08:14:11 |