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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| Egypt hosts anti-Iranian Shiite cleric |
| 2008-10-22 |
| A prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric known for his opposition of the Iranian regime made a landmark visit to Egypt as part of efforts to counter Iranian influence in Iraq and enhance the Arab role their. Jordan-based Ayatollah Hossein al-Moayed received an official invitation from Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit to visit Egypt, where he met with Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa as well as officials from the Foreign Ministry and senior presidential staff. The meetings focused on political, rather than religious, issues particularly the influence of Iran and the Arab role in Iraq, Moayed told AlArabiya.net from Amman. "We talked about the Iranian nationalistic plan. I was the first to warn that Iran's plans are nationalistic, and not religious or sectarian," he said."Religion is just a tool to gain influence, especially in the absence of an effective Arab counter-strategy. Moayed added that he hoped his visit would help familiarize Egypt with the political map of Iraq, particularly parties that oppose the current situation. "We need political and media support from Egypt," said the ayatollah Moayed rejected as the lable of Shiite leader and stressed that his efforts transcend a narrow sectarian framework. The religious leader hails from a prominent Shiite family and studied theology in Baghdad before going to the Iranian city of Qom in 1982. He obtained a degree in Ijtihad, or interpretation, the highest level in the Hawza, the seminary of Shiite Islamic studies. This three-day visit came amid strained relations between Egypt and Iran. Diplomatic relations between the two countries were severed in 1979 in the aftermath of the Islamic Revolution and the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. Tensions became further strained when a major street in Tehran was named after Khaled al-Islambouli, leader of the squad that assassinated late Egyptian president Anwar Sadatand a documentary relased that glorified the assassin. |
| Posted by:Fred |