August 25, 2004
MAKE WAY FOR THE AYATOLLAH:
Sistani's rescue bid (Peyman Pejman, 8/26/04, Asia Times)
In the latest twist, supreme Shi'ite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said that he would return to Iraqi on Wednesday and ask all Iraqis to "march to Najaf in order to rescue the city". Sistani has been receiving medical treatment in London, where he arrived a day after the latest bout of fighting began three weeks ago."We want a stop to this bloodshed in the city of Najaf," said an aide to Sistani, Sheikh Ali Smaisem. "We will negotiate with the same delegation from the [Iraqi] National Conference, and we want them to bring a representative from the government." Smaisem was referring to a delegation of eight Iraqi dignitaries who visited Najaf last week and were unable to broker a peaceful end to the crisis.
"His eminence Grand Ayatollah al-Sistani will arrive in beloved Iraq in a few hours and he will return to the holy city of Najaf to rescue it from its ordeal," spokesman Hamed al-Khafaf said in an e-mail sent to The Associated Press in Beirut on Wednesday morning.
This could have no better outcome than to strengthen al-Sistani. Posted by Orrin Judd at August 25, 2004 9:17 AM
Ayatollah you so! (Sorry. Couldn't resist.)
Posted by: Mike Morley at August 25, 2004 9:20 AMWell, let's hope that the suicidal moonbats don't kill Sistani and then run around waving their RPGs in the air. Perhaps we could march him into Najaf with a phalanx of Marines, but that might be unseemly. Although it would make great copy for Al-Jazeera.
Posted by: jim hamlen at August 25, 2004 10:27 AMSounds like Sistani's announcing "This crap has gone on long enough!"
Posted by: Ken at August 25, 2004 12:14 PMSistani's probably thinking--You idiots were supposed to finish this guy off weeks ago, that was the whole point of my going to England!
Posted by: brian at August 25, 2004 1:56 PMA puzzling report on NPR this morning.
A peaceful march of Shia was fired on my gunmen, killing 2.
However, it turns out they were pro-Muqtadar Shia. I thought they didn't exist?
The Shia should be scolded severely, they keep letting Orrin down.
Posted by: Harry Eagar at August 25, 2004 2:14 PMHarry:
What let down? They're having a healthy argument over how to form an entirely new and unprecedented political system.
Posted by: oj at August 25, 2004 3:29 PMI thought we were the precedent
Posted by: Harry Eagar at August 25, 2004 8:06 PMWe have a Christian republic, theirs will be Sh'ia. There'll be differences.
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