Published: Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Shiite leaders speak out against Iraqi government
The leaders had pushed hard for the government.
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Many of the Shiite Muslim religious leaders who strongly backed the formation of the Iraqi government now are condemning it, warning that the country could descend into full revolt.
Their statements, observers said, reflect their effort to distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular government, one they once encouraged voters to risk their lives to support. In the process, they hope to win back support from the populace, the majority of which is Shiite.
The signs of defection are troublesome for U.S. and Iraqi officials, and another possible sign that the American strategy is threatened. The Shiite leaders have pushed for formation of the government more aggressively than any other Iraqi group, and their frustrations come just as American and Iraqi officials had encouraged Sunni Muslims to participate in the nascent political process.
"The government formed after the fall of the regime hasn't been able to do anything, just make many promises. And people are fed up with the promises," said Sheik Bashir al-Najafi, one of the top four Shiite leaders and one of several who suggested there could be a revolt. "One day we will not be able to stop a popular revolution."
Religious leaders who spoke of revolt didn't specify what form it would take. But residents here said they thought it could be rogue militias and armed factions fighting Iraqi troops, and possibly U.S. forces, for control of the country. Alternatively, some said, southern Shiite residents could battle a mostly Sunni insurgency.
Restraint
Many Shiites have refrained from engaging in all-out war because of repeated pleas from the Shiite leaders' council, the Marjaiyyah, to show restraint. The recent statements from religious leaders suggest that stance could be changing.
"The Marjaiyyah will support the government as long as the government serves the people," Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, the largest Shiite political bloc, said in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers. "This was a warning."
In the Shiite holy city of Karbala, which voted overwhelmingly for the government last December, police Officer Ahmed al-Khafaji said he'd never seen residents there so angry with it.
The religious leadership "is blamed because they asked us to choose those political leaders, so they have to do something. They have to," al-Khafaji said. "The statement issued by Sheik al-Najafi is a clear example that everyone is dissatisfied with the government."
During Iraq's two elections for parliament — in January and December of last year — the Shiite religious leaders encouraged voters to support the United Iraqi Alliance. Voters came out in droves and supported the slate, even as they admitted they didn't know the candidates. As a result, the United Iraqi Alliance won 128 of the parliament's 275 seats, allowing the slate to name the prime minister.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
The leaders had pushed hard for the government.
MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS
BAGHDAD, Iraq — Many of the Shiite Muslim religious leaders who strongly backed the formation of the Iraqi government now are condemning it, warning that the country could descend into full revolt.
Their statements, observers said, reflect their effort to distance themselves from an increasingly unpopular government, one they once encouraged voters to risk their lives to support. In the process, they hope to win back support from the populace, the majority of which is Shiite.
The signs of defection are troublesome for U.S. and Iraqi officials, and another possible sign that the American strategy is threatened. The Shiite leaders have pushed for formation of the government more aggressively than any other Iraqi group, and their frustrations come just as American and Iraqi officials had encouraged Sunni Muslims to participate in the nascent political process.
"The government formed after the fall of the regime hasn't been able to do anything, just make many promises. And people are fed up with the promises," said Sheik Bashir al-Najafi, one of the top four Shiite leaders and one of several who suggested there could be a revolt. "One day we will not be able to stop a popular revolution."
Religious leaders who spoke of revolt didn't specify what form it would take. But residents here said they thought it could be rogue militias and armed factions fighting Iraqi troops, and possibly U.S. forces, for control of the country. Alternatively, some said, southern Shiite residents could battle a mostly Sunni insurgency.
Restraint
Many Shiites have refrained from engaging in all-out war because of repeated pleas from the Shiite leaders' council, the Marjaiyyah, to show restraint. The recent statements from religious leaders suggest that stance could be changing.
"The Marjaiyyah will support the government as long as the government serves the people," Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim, the leader of the United Iraqi Alliance, the largest Shiite political bloc, said in an interview with McClatchy Newspapers. "This was a warning."
In the Shiite holy city of Karbala, which voted overwhelmingly for the government last December, police Officer Ahmed al-Khafaji said he'd never seen residents there so angry with it.
The religious leadership "is blamed because they asked us to choose those political leaders, so they have to do something. They have to," al-Khafaji said. "The statement issued by Sheik al-Najafi is a clear example that everyone is dissatisfied with the government."
During Iraq's two elections for parliament — in January and December of last year — the Shiite religious leaders encouraged voters to support the United Iraqi Alliance. Voters came out in droves and supported the slate, even as they admitted they didn't know the candidates. As a result, the United Iraqi Alliance won 128 of the parliament's 275 seats, allowing the slate to name the prime minister.
Wednesday, August 2, 2006
Many of the Shiite Muslim religious leaders who strongly backed the formation of the Iraqi government now are condemning...
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