* Cleric calls for ban on dancing, partying* Some welcome the move in the holy city
* Other say it's a retutrn to "dark old days"
A CLERIC'S call to ban partying and dancing in the Shiite holy city of Karbala has triggered a heated debate among residents, just when they had begun living without fear of hardline militias.
In his Friday sermon, Sheikh Abdel Mahdi al-Karbalaie, the representative of revered Shiite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, called on residents of Karbala to put a halt to dancing, partying, listening to music loudly and displaying "provocative" women's garments in shops.
"Too many negatives have appeared lately in Karbala. Unfortunately, nobody is stopping them and dissuading people from them," Sheikh Karbalaie said. "It is the responsibility of all... the state, the NGOs (non government organisations) professors, according to their abilities, to practise the principles of Islam. Everyone is responsible in front of God."
The call from Sheikh Karbalaie, aide of Ayatollah Sistani who is known as a moderate religious leader, has divided the local population, with many welcoming the sermons and others terming it an attempt to return to the "dark old days".
During the former regime of Saddam Hussein, Iraq was known for its more secular lifestyle but after he was toppled in 2003 by invading US-led forces, local Shiite militias began enforcing a strict Islamic code of living. Attacks on shops selling music CDs, women's beauty products and dresses were common in Karbala as the militias, mainly loyal to radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, became the city's new moral police.
Sameer, a shopkeeper who used to sell women's dresses, recalls how one day militiamen stormed his shop and ordered him to put a veil even on the dummy of a model. "At that time there was a woman in my shop and she asked the militiamen why they didn't go and veil dummies of male models in other shops," said Sameer, who gave only his first name.
But a fierce firefight in Karbala in August 2007 that killed 52 worshippers prompted Sadr to suspend the activities of his militia amid allegations that his fighters had sparked the bloodletting by clashing with local security forces.
After that, residents once again began enjoying a measure of freedom in the city, which houses the shrines of Shiite Islam's revered Imam Hussein and his half-brother Abbas.
Sheikh Karbalaie's call could bring down the clamp once again.
"I can't believe that a religion can forbid people to have fun and call only for grief and sorrow," said Salem Jahel, a local tour operator. "We live in a country that is multicultural and you can't impose one single code of conduct. The shops are now displaying their products freely. In this country, there are religious as well as secular people."
Another resident Qassim Ra'ad said people are tired of daily killings and bombings and needed some lighter relief. "Iraq is looking for hope in life and they want to forbid even these simple things. Do they want us to keep crying and flagellate ourselves always? Is this life? Do they want us to return to the old dark days?'"
A local journalist said Sheikh Karbalaie's call was against the spirit of Iraqis who are known for their humour and dynamism. "In old times, our ancestors used to work and sing in the fields. So is there anything wrong with what we are doing today?" he said, declining to reveal his name.
Ayatollah Sistani's office, meanwhile, said Sheikh Karbalaie's call was his own view and did not represent the senior cleric's opinion. But as a representative of Sistani, he knows what he has to do in the city," the office said.
Several residents of the central Iraqi city, however, welcomed Sheikh Karbalaie's call as long as it was enforced peacefully.
"I support Sheikh Karbalaie on condition that such bad behaviour is suppressed by persuasion (rather than force) because Islam is under attack everywhere," said Zuhair Saad, a worker in the city's municipality. "If we use force, they will say we are terrorists."
Another resident, Adel Abbas, said he too supported Karbalaie as the music being played these days was "unsuitable to the holiness of the city".
"Karbala is a holy city. Those who want to party should do it in their homes without causing disturbances," he said.