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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Moderate Shiites (i.e., friendlies) take control in Karbala |
| 2004-04-12 |
| by Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor EFL; hat tip: Brothers Judd. The city of Karbala observed the holiday of Arbain this weekend. It marks the end of a 40-day period of mourning for the martyrdom of Imam Hussein 1,350 years ago, in the power struggle that created Islam’s Sunni-Shiite divide. . . . But most telling in Karbala this weekend was who was not in charge: the militia of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. Instead, two moderate, cooperating Shiite militias set up layered cordons throughout the city. . . . After a week of fighting between followers of Sadr militants, on the one side, and Bulgarian and Polish troops on the other, milder Shiite militias pushed Sadr’s militia either out of the city or deeply underground. ’Bout six feet under, I would hope. The vacuum has been filled by the Badr Brigades, controlled by the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq; (which does not sound all that friendly) and militia close to Iraq’s establishment Shiite hierarchy who sometimes call themselves the Helpers of Sistani, after Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, a moderate and Iraq’s most widely respected cleric. . . . Unlike Sadr’s men, these militias aren’t likely to make a grab for power by force. But their sponsors do have political demands - and are increasingly weary of the US occupation. Grand Ayatollah Sistani has repeatedly complained that Iraq should have elections much sooner than the current US timetable, scheduled for January 2005. Leaders of SCIRI also say they would like big changes in the US transition plan. They say they worry that Iraq’s Shiites won’t be granted sufficient influence in the transitional government. The Shiites have been repressed for decades by the Ba’athist-Sunni elite, so that feeling is entirely understandable. |
| Posted by:Mike |
| #5 Somehow, someway, these private militias need to be disbanded. If we can think of a way to set up provinical militias as we did w/the beginnings of our own country & based on geographic areas vice one leader's own personal bodyguard - this would be a step in the right direction. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2004-04-12 1:58:22 PM |
| #4 "the Supreme Council for the ISLAMIC REVOLUTION in Iraq." Hmm. Don't much like the sound of that. Either a.) Aris is right, or, b.) They have to call themselves that to rally any substantial support. Sure hope it's b.) I'd like it better if they called themselves: "The Democratic Council for Education, Freedom, and Pluralism in Iraq" or something of that sort. |
| Posted by: ex-lib 2004-04-12 1:34:57 PM |
| #3 I kind of lean toward Aris' take. SCIRI may not come out of the gate acting like the Iranian mullahs do, but I suspect that Sistani and any other Shiite with political power would succumb sooner or later to the temptation to try to impose their own view of political order on the rest of Iraq, with the inevitable consequences. |
| Posted by: Carl in N.H 2004-04-12 12:48:23 PM |
| #2 Aris, don't think so, SCIRI (despite the name) is a fairly moderate group. I expect them to play the political game. Their milita has been a defensive one -- gots ta have a milita if yas wants respect, ya know -- but their words consistently have been moderate, political, let's work with what we have, etc. I think (don't know, of course) that their thought is that if they can just get to elections, they'll do well and then they can push their agenda. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2004-04-12 11:53:01 AM |
| #1 If Sadr is defeated only with help from SCIRI, then SCIRI will simply become the next Islamofascist wannabe-rulers-of-Iraq... |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2004-04-12 10:05:50 AM |