Republicfounder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
"The photos of Khomeini and Khamenei that were raised during the Al-Quds Day parade on Friday are used for religious purposes, because those two people are considered religious people and not politicians," Hassan Khallati, the spokesperson of the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council
Led by Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI, formerly the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, or SCIRII, pronounced Scarey)) is not nearly as supreme as it makes out to be. The al-Hakim family business is merely another one of political parties, this one Shiite and with its power base in the south of the country. The Iranian government sponsored the party's creation in 1982 during the Iran-Iraq war after the leading Iraqi Islamist group was weakened by a government crackdown. Designed as an umbrella organization to unite Iraqi Shi'a groups, the party supports Islamic government controlled by holy men. In post-Saddam Iraq ISCI has worked closely with other Shi'a organizations to provide social services and humanitarian aid. Though accused of receiving money and weapons from Iran, ISCI leaders maintain that the party is committed to democracy and peaceful cooperation. The Badr Brigade initially acted as ISCI's armed wing but later to split to form the independent Badr Organization., told Rudaw. "Raising their photos on this day is normal."
"Those who mix this issue with politics aim to create sectarian division and sedition among the Iraqi people," he said.
However,
if you can't say something nice about a person some juicy gossip will go well...
not all were pleased with Iranian leaders being featured so prominently in Iraq.
"This is a violation of Iraqi illusory sovereignty, because those two individuals are the supreme leaders in their country," Iraqi MP Khaled Al-Mafraji, the leader of the Coalition of National Forces, told Rudaw.
"Why did they not raise the photos of Iraqi religious leaders instead of Khomeini and Kamenei?" he asked.