KARBALA - Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Hakim, one of Iraqâs top Shiite Muslim leaders, returned to the holy city of Karbala on Saturday for the first time since ending 23 years of exile. Hakim, who made a triumphant return to Iraq this month, was greeted by thousands of cheering faithful whose shouts kept him from beginning a speech he was to deliver at the Imam Hossein mosque, one of the holiest Shiite shrines. âWith our souls and with our blood, we will sacrifice ourselves for you Saddam Hakim!â the ecstatic crowd chanted. Photos of the cleric were displayed everywhere along with banners reading âFreedom, Independence and Justice.â
| They got lots of practice, doing similar rallies for Sammy... |
Hakim, who lived in neighbouring Iran, was to make what aides said was an important address to the Iraqi people. He returned to the country earlier this month amid talk of building an âIslamic Iraqâ but has since toned down his criticism of the presence of US and British troops in the country.
| "Hakim, you didn't give up your lease on your apartment back in Teheran, did you?" |
While seen as a hero for his position as an influential spiritual leader among Iraqâs majority Shiites, many are sceptical about a future role for him as a political leader who could push for an Iranian-style Islamic regime. Hakim heads the Supreme Assembly of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SAIRI), a former anti-Saddam Hussein opposition group which has emerged as a leading political force in post-war Iraq. SAIRI holds one of the seven seats on a leadership council that has been working with the United States to help prepare a post-Saddam government.
| SAIRI's primary accomplishment before we got there seems to have been making faces, waving guns, and issuing fatwahs, all from a safe distance... |
|