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| Iraq | |
| "No to America" - Sadr City throng of almost 200 shouted for 7 minutes | |
| 2008-09-06 | |
| BAGHDAD (AFP) - Seven minutes of "No to America" and then they left, ducking for shade. That was the extent of the protest by fewer than 200 Shiite radicals after Friday prayers in Baghdad's anti-US enclave of Sadr City. The promising posters pasted on the walls of the sprawling shanty district in the east of the Iraqi capital called on supporters of Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr to "peacefully reject and condemn" the US occupation. Perhaps chalk up the muted participation to Baghdad's intense midday heat and also the Muslim month of Ramadan, a demanding period of dawn-to-dusk fasting that saps the strength of even the fiercest Sadr faithful. But after a speech by imam Said Abdul Satar al-Battat -- a mixture of Koranic prayer and incantations railing against the evils of America -- fewer than 200 people crowded around for the usual burning of the American flag. "No to America! No to the devil," they shouted. "We are with you, Moqtada, to liberate Iraq!" As was the case after prayers on Friday last week, dozens of Sadr's followers also signed blood oaths to continue their fight against US forces in Iraq. More than a week ago Sadr ordered a halt to armed operations by his 60,000-strong Mahdi Army militia, blamed by Washington for some of the worst sectarian killings of Sunni Arabs in the war-torn country. Sadr's decision came after he promised earlier last month to dismantle the once feared militia if a planned security pact between Baghdad and Washington provides for the withdrawal of US troops. Sadr, believed to be The protestors shouted: "Whoever has signed is not one of us." Sadr's renewal of a year-long freeze on attacks on rival armed groups and US forces is no sign of weakness insist Sadr supporters.
"But this is not an armed resistance. We are a cultural resistance," chimed in Nasif Jassim, 41, an engineer, echoing Sadr's demands that the Mahdi Army transform itself into a cultural and religious organisation. Trader Ahmad al-Iraki, 28, said: "We are against this agreement, it is a red line for us. We're awaiting (further) orders from Moqtada," he said. | |
| Posted by:Unock Glatch5784 |
| #15 Good golly, my laptop computer issued me an AKA. (Unock Glatch5784). On vacation in Hawaii and not paying close attention to anything but news regarding Sarah. What a gem. Aloha GolfBravoUSMC |
| Posted by: GolfBravoUSMC 2008-09-06 21:23 |
| #14 So what was the bait? Free money, free beer, candy, sammiches? Ammo? Popsicles? I thought that only mad dogs and Englishman go out in the midday sun. /channeling Noel Coward |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2008-09-06 19:20 |
| #13 200 demonstrators out of a population of 7 million? I bet 10 times would come out for a demonstration against ring around the collar. ed, YOU HAVE BEEN ON A ROLL OF LATE!! LMAO!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ #6 bet those 200 were a dentist's dream too... Posted by: Frank G LOL! Warning: Do Not stand downwind of 200 rotten stank mouths that are shouting. ..OMG gag FYI & ALERT: If any one of The 200 TOOTHLESS ONES bite you then your slow agonizing death is certain. You see each one of the chosen 200 are inoculated with a toxic bacterial soup when TATER gives them each a DEEP TROAT KISS. Tater SMOOCHES! LOL! |
| Posted by: Red Dawg 2008-09-06 15:42 |
| #12 200 people is pathetic. CAIR could get more than that in any large American city. |
| Posted by: Iblis 2008-09-06 15:05 |
| #11 200 shouted for 7 minutes? Is that a Guinness Record? Now they need to hold their breath for 15 minutes. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2008-09-06 13:35 |
| #10 I'm thinking seven minutes must be just under the police response time. |
| Posted by: Redneck Jim 2008-09-06 13:05 |
| #9 No problem... get some closeup shots, the right angles, a little photoshop, and we can make it thousands! /MSM |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2008-09-06 12:41 |
| #8 Well I'm impressed- I couldn't yell for seven minutes to save my life. Go on, you try it. |
| Posted by: Grunter 2008-09-06 11:59 |
| #7 Two Hundred. LOL! They could have gotten a bigger more rowdy crowd to show up for a yard sale with "lots of baby items". |
| Posted by: Betty Grating2215 2008-09-06 10:53 |
| #6 bet those 200 were a dentist's dream too... |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-09-06 09:59 |
| #5 Puppets, where were the giant puppets? Since when are puppets against Islam? I could have sworn Paleo TV uses them regularly in their anti-Semitic public service spots/programs. Different Mullah, different fatwa I guess. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2008-09-06 09:58 |
| #4 200 demonstrators out of a population of 7 million? I bet 10 times would come out for a demonstration against ring around the collar. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-09-06 09:50 |
| #3 It is sad to see how they are oppressed. Why, in the good ol' days under Saddam, they had the privilege of screaming "Death to America!" for hours. There were huge rallies, with thousands of people, complete with lots of security, too! Now look at 'em. 200 people, 7 minutes, and I'm thinking there weren't a whole bunch of people with walkie-talkies ensuring a strong police presence. I'm telling you, it's sad. |
| Posted by: Swamp Blondie in the Cornfields 2008-09-06 09:44 |
| #2 "But this is not an armed resistance. We are a cultural resistance," The little children doing folk dances in traditional costume is always wonderful, so long as the tiniest one is sat on the potty just before going on, but the amateur art shows are positively painful. And I refuse to sit through anymore poetry readings, period. Some sacrifices are too great to be demanded. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2008-09-06 08:49 |
| #1 Code Pink has a Baghdad chapter. Who knew? |
| Posted by: Mike 2008-09-06 08:43 |