Shia cleric tells British Muslims not to join fight against Isis in Iraq

"The ‪#‎fatwa‬ of syed ‪#‎Sistani‬ to fight is the first ‪#‎Shia‬ fatwa since 1923. It's a fatwa for both ‪#‎Sunni‬ & Shia to fight ‪#‎ISIS‬.. Whereas our fatwa are given twice a day, for a thing & nothing! Why the response of the shia is strong to the fatwa of their ‪#‎marji‬'. Honestly, because the last don't give it according to their mood. We won't catch up with the speed of ‪#‎Qaradhawi‬ & ‪#‎Ar‬'oor, they are riding a plane made in Germany." Hassan Farhan AlMaliki a sensible 'free' Sunni scholar. أول فتوى عراقية شيعية في القتال من عام ١٩٢٣ فتوى السيستاني بمواجهة داعش الذين هم ضد السنة والشيعة معاً ونحن فتاوانا في اليوم مرتين، للشئ وضده. لماذا تكون الاستجابات الشيعية لفتاوى مراجعهم قوية؟ لأنهم بصراحة لا يخرجونها بالمزاج نحن لن نلحق على مروحة القرضاوي وعرعور، مروحة ألمانية! ههه ================= If any one is interested in actual texts in ARABIC http://www.sistani.org/images/display/Khotbah/aaa.jpg http://www.sistani.org/images/displa...8-1435h-b-.jpg There is no diplomatic solution in sight with or without almaliki, people's true intentions have nothing with him, he just provides a good cover with his actions. =====================================

Khamenei says Iran strongly opposes US intervention in Iraq Source: Reuters - Sun, 22 Jun 2014 10:52 GMT Author: Reuters (Refiles to reinstate dropped word in 5th para) DUBAI, June 22 (Reuters) - Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressed strong opposition on Sunday to intervention in Iraq by the United States or anyone else, saying Iraqis themselves could bring an end to violence there, the official IRNA news agency reported. Khamenei, who has the last word on all matters of state, added in remarks to judiciary officials that Washington aimed to keep Iraq under its control and place its own stooges in power. The conflict there was not sectarian, but was really between those who wanted Iraq in the U.S. camp and those who sought Iraq's independence, IRNA reported. "We are strongly opposed to U.S. and other (countries') intervention in Iraq," IRNA quoted Khamenei as saying. "We don't approve of it, as we believe the Iraqi government, nation and religious authorities are capable of ending the sedition. And God willing, they will do so." U.S. President Barack Obama on June 19 offered up to 300 Americans to help coordinate the fight against rapid advances by the Sunni militant Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), which has captured swatches of northern Iraq this month. But he held off granting a request for air strikes from the Shi'ite-led government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

"America is not pleased with the ongoing (political) process in Iraq, meaning the wide participation in the elections and selecting their own choice (of representatives), as the U.S. is seeking an Iraq under its hegemony and ruled by its stooges," Khamenei was quoted as saying, referring to an Iraqi parliamentary election in April.

(Reporting by Mehrdad Balali, Writing by William Maclean) ===================== I heard that nujaifi requested peshmerge assistance, is that true? Besides, didn't the people of mosul say that they do not want the iraqi army near them? Such a depressing news, this is the fault of whomever supported the syrian garbage with money and arms. U.S. Signals Iraq's Maliki Should Go - WSJ Iraq's Maliki: I won't quit as condition of US strikes against Isis militants | World news | theguardian.com __________________ If you still have doubts, you have neither a brain nor a conscience. ALIRAQIA list requests amnesty for resistance fighters The dialogue has to have anti ISIS stance starting point and can start now if we can __________________ أكدت جماعة علماء العراق في محافظة البصرة، الجمعة، أن العراق يتعرض لهجمة "تكفيرية ضالة" تسعى لاقتطاع جزء من العراق وجعلها منطلقاً لنشر "الارهاب" في كافة انحاء البلاد والدول العربية، مشدداً على أن اهل السنة والجماعة هم ضد تنظيم "داعش" قولا وفعلا. وقال عضو الجماعة الشيخ محمد امين في حديث لـ"السومرية نيوز"، إنه "اذا اراد أي إمام أو معمم في العراق أن ينسب ما يحدث في الموصل إلى السنة فهو واهم"، مشيراً الى انه "لا احد يستطيع ان يتكلم باسم اهل السنة". So basically ISIS is being backed by Qatar Al-Qaeda is being backed by Saudi Arabia Once upon a time Qatar was invaded by Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia and Qatar clash over the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt Al-Qaeda & Nusra were winning in Syria but then all of a sudden ISIS comes along and starts killing Al-Qaeda & Nusra and Bashar Al Asaad is able to capitalize on this division and take back the country. Which is not to say Qatar/ISIS supports Bashar its just that they couldn't stand to see Saudi/Al-Qaeda take the glory. Is this just a war between Qatar and Saudi over who will take the glory for establishing Islamic state? Because most muslims and their defenders (including Obama) wanted this since 7 years ago. I heard 500 thousands but how can they know so soon and through whom? It might but learn from the KRG and separate ourselves from KRG areas, diyala, nainawa, tikrit and anbar, the Krg do not like us and do not blame them, we do not need the elitists and whabists, let them rule themselves and let the 10 provinces keep away from the KRG and the other greedy KKK-alikes, we are being told we are not brothers, FINE. What and who does that remind you of? Almaliki is not an angel, he appoints/rejects baathis when it suits him. Kurds want to sell oil on their own while getting a share from everybody else's despite not wanting to be Iraqi( which is their right 100% ), almaliki should not have cared about kerkuk anyway even if he thinks it is not theirs, it is a good price to pay. certain sunnis want a bigger say than their size and want us to include their shady characters as if they are proud of their past deeds. This event shows the army to be not good trained killers like ISIS and the sunnis alongside them Your assertion here is misleading though . Even when Kurds sale their oil they are still getting 17% for the oil they sale and Baghdad gets 83% . I see nothing wrong with that , but Maliki want complete total control over everything . The money from sale of oil was to be deposited in Hulk Bankasi where kurds get their 17% and Baghdad gets 83% which did not make maliki happy . Kurds have all the right to do that , because Maliki is not trust worthy If that is the case, why are the tankers still at sea? http://www.businessweek.com/articles...ell-more-crude It is not like anyone in the world fears almaliki. -- While not justified on its' own (at all), it is not a reprisal either, if I had terrorism detainees and I was fighting ISIS who wants to release them as future soldiers, I would make sure they are not in a fighting condition to come back and kill me and my people, that is a Sunna set by Khalid bin al walid anyway. =================================================== / By Mike Whitney comments_image 8 COMMENTS Is the Violent ISIS Campaign in Iraq -- Funded By Our Allies -- Really An Attack on Iran? There's something fishy about official versions about what's happening in Iraq. An image grab taken from Iraqiya channel shows Iraqi Primi Minister Nuri al-Maliki delivering a televised speech in Baghdad on June 18, 2014 June 19, 2014 | There’s something that doesn’t ring-true about the coverage of crisis in Iraq. Maybe it’s the way the media reiterates the same, tedious storyline over and over again with only the slightest changes in the narrative. For example, I was reading an article in the Financial Times by Council on Foreign Relations president, Richard Haass, where he says that Maliki’s military forces in Mosul “melted away”. Interestingly, the Haass op-ed was followed by a piece by David Gardener who used almost the very same language. He said the “army melts away.” So, I decided to thumb through the news a bit and see how many other journalists were stung by the “melted away” bug. And, as it happens, there were quite a few, including Politico, NBC News, News Sentinel, Global Post, the National Interest, ABC News etc. Now, the only way an unusual expression like that would pop up with such frequency would be if the authors were getting their talking points from a central authority. (which they probably do.) But the effect, of course, is the exact opposite than what the authors intend, that is, these cookie cutter stories leave readers scratching their heads and feeling like something fishy is going on. And something fishy IS going on. The whole fable about 1,500 jihadis scaring the pants off 30,000 Iraqi security guards to the point where they threw away their rifles, changed their clothes and headed for the hills, is just not believable. I don’t know what happened in Mosul, but, I’ll tell you one thing, it wasn’t that. That story just doesn’t pass the smell test. And what happened in Mosul matters too, because nearly every journalist and pundit in the MSM is using the story to discredit Maliki and suggest that maybe Iraq would be better off without him. Haass says that it shows that the army’s “allegiance to the government is paper thin”. Gardener says its a sign of “a fast failing state.” Other op-ed writers like Nicolas Kristof attack Maliki for other reasons, like being too sectarian. Here’s Kristof: “The debacle in Iraq isn’t President Obama’s fault. It’s not the Republicans’ fault. Both bear some responsibility, but, overwhelmingly, it’s the fault of the Iraqi prime minister, Nouri Kamal al-Maliki.” Of course, Kristof is no match for the imperial mouthpiece, Tom Friedman. When it comes to pure boneheaded bluster, Friedman is still numero uno. Here’s how the jowly pundit summed it up in an article in the Sunday Times titled “Five Principles for Iraq”:

“Iraq’s Shiite prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, has proved himself not to be a friend of a democratic, pluralistic Iraq either. From Day 1, he has used his office to install Shiites in key security posts, drive out Sunni politicians and generals and direct money to Shiite communities. In a word, Maliki has been a total jerk. Besides being prime minister, he made himself acting minister of defense, minister of the interior and national security adviser, and his cronies also control the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry. Maliki had a choice — to rule in a sectarian way or in an inclusive way — and he chose sectarianism. We owe him nothing.” (Five Principles for Iraq, Tom Freidman, New York Times)

Leave it to Friedman, eh? In other words, the reason Iraq is such a mess, has nothing to do with the invasion, the occupation, the death squads, Abu Ghraib, the Salvador Option, the decimated infrastructure, the polluted environment, or the vicious sectarian war the US ignited with its demented counterinsurgency program. Oh, no. The reason Iraq is a basketcase is because Maliki is a jerk. Maliki is sectarian. Bad Maliki. Sound familiar? Putin last week. Maliki this week. Who’s next? In any event, there is a rational explanation for what happened in Mosul although I cannot verify its authenticity. Check out this post at Syria Perspectives blog:

“…the Iraqi Ba’ath Party’s primary theoretician and Saddam’s right-hand man, ‘Izzaat Ibraaheem Al-Douri, himself a native of Mosul…was searching out allies in a very hostile post-Saddam Iraq … Still on the run and wanted for execution by the Al-Maliki government, Al-Douri still controlled a vast network of Iraqi Sunni Ba’athists who operated in a manner similar to the old Odessa organization that helped escaped Nazis after WWII … he did not have the support structure needed to oust Al-Maliki, so, he found an odd alliance in ISIS through the offices of Erdoghan and Bandar. Our readers should note that the taking of Mosul was accomplished by former Iraqi Ba’athist officers suspiciously abandoning their posts and leaving a 52,000 man military force without any leadership thereby forcing a complete collapse of the city’s defenses. The planning and collaboration cannot be coincidental.” (THE INNER CORE OF ISIS – THE INVASIVE SPECIES, Ziad Fadel, Syrian Perspectives)

I’ve read variations of this same explanation on other blogs, but I have no way of knowing whether they’re true or not. But what I do know, is that it’s a heckuva a lot more believable than the other explanation mainly because it provides enough background and detail to make the scenario seem plausible. The official version–the “melts away” version– doesn’t do that at all. It just lays out this big bogus story expecting people to believe it on faith alone. Why? Because it appeared in all the papers? That seems like a particularly bad reason for believing anything. And the “army melting away” story is just one of many inconsistencies in the official media version of events. Another puzzler is why Obama allowed the jihadis to rampage across Iraq without lifting a finger to help. Does that strike anyone else as a bit odd? When was the last time an acting president failed to respond immediately and forcefully to a similar act of aggression? Never. The US always responds. And the pattern is always the same. “Stop what you are doing now or we’re going to bomb you to smithereens.” Isn’t that the typical response? Sure it is. But Obama delivered no such threat this time. Instead, he’s qualified his support for al-Maliki saying that the beleaguered president must “begin accommodating Sunni participation in his government” before the US will lend a hand. What kind of lame response is that? Check out this blurb from MNI News: “President Barack Obama Friday warned Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki that the United States wants him to begin accommodating Sunni participation in his government, or see the United States withhold the help he needs, short of U.S. troops on the ground, to ward off an attack on Baghdad. Obama added the emphasis of an appearance before TV cameras to his midday message, that while he will be considering options for some military intervention in the days ahead, the next move is up to Maliki.” (Obama Warns Iraq’s Maliki,Looking for Sunni-Shia Accommodation, MNI) Have you ever read such nonsense in your life? Imagine if , let’s say, the jihadi hordes had gathered just 50 miles outside of London and were threatening to invade at any minute. Do you think Obama would deliver the same message to UK Prime Minister David Cameron? “Gee, Dave, we’d really like to help out, but you need to put a couple of these guys in your government first. Would that be okay, Dave? Just think of it as affirmative action for terrorists.” It might sound crazy, but that’s what Obama wants Maliki to do. So, what’s going on here? Why is Obama delivering ultimatums when he should be helping out? Could it be that Obama has a different agenda than Maliki’s and that the present situation actually works to his benefit? It sure looks that way. Just take a look at what Friedman says further on in the same article. It helps to clarify the point. He says: “Maybe Iran, and its wily Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander, Gen. Qassem Suleimani, aren’t so smart after all. It was Iran that armed its Iraqi Shiite allies with the specially shaped bombs that killed and wounded many American soldiers. Iran wanted us out. It was Iran that pressured Maliki into not signing an agreement with the U.S. to give our troops legal cover to stay in Iraq. Iran wanted to be the regional hegemon. Well, Suleimani: “This Bud’s for you.” Now your forces are overextended in Syria, Lebanon and Iraq, and ours are back home. Have a nice day.” (5 Principles for Iraq, Tom Friedman, New York Times) Interesting, eh? Friedman basically admits that this whole fiasco is about Iran who turned out to be the biggest winner in the Iraq War sweepstakes. Naturally, that pisses off people in Washington, Tel Aviv and Riyadh to no end, so they’ve cooked up this goofy plan to either remove Maliki altogether or significantly trim his wings. Isn’t that what’s going on? And that’s why Obama is holding a gun to Maliki’s head and telling him what hoops he has to jump through in order to get US help. Because he’s determined to weaken Iran’s hegemonic grip on Baghdad. Friedman also notes the Status of Forces agreement which would have allowed U.S. troops to stay in Iraq. Al Maliki rejected the deal which enraged Washington setting the stage for this latest terrorist farce. Obama intends to reverse that decision by hook or crook. This is just the way Washington does business, by twisting arms and breaking legs. Everybody knows this. To understand what’s going on today in Iraq, we need to know a little history. In 2002, The Bush administration commissioned the Rand Corporation “to develop a Shaping Strategy for pacifying Muslim populations where the US has commercial or strategic interests.” The plan they came up with–which was called “US Strategy in the Muslim World after 9-11”– recommended that the US, “Align its policy with Shiite groups who aspire to have more participation in government and greater freedoms of political and religious expression. If this alignment can be brought about, it could erect a barrier against radical Islamic movements and may create a foundation for a stable U.S. position in the Middle East.” The Bushies decided to follow this wacky plan which proved to be a huge tactical error. By throwing their weight behind the Shia, they triggered a massive Sunni rebellion that initiated as many as 100 attacks per day on US soldiers. That, in turn, led to a savage US counterinsurgency that wound up killing tens of thousands of Sunnis while reducing much of the country to ruins. Petraeus’ vicious onslaught was concealed behind the misleading PR smokescreen of sectarian civil war. It was actually a genocidal war against the people who Obama now tacitly supports in Mosul and Tikrit. So there’s been a huge change of policy, right? And the fact that the US has taken a hands-off approach to Isis suggests that the Obama administration has abandoned the Rand strategy altogether and is looking for ways to support Sunni-led groups in their effort to topple the Al Assad regime in Damascus, weaken Hezbollah, and curtail Iran’s power in the region. While the strategy is ruthless and despicable, at least it makes sense in the perverted logic of imperial expansion, which the Rand plan never did. What is happening in Iraq today was anticipated in a 2007 Seymour Hersh article titled “The Redirection.” Author Tony Cartalucci gives a great summary of the piece in his own article. He says: “The Redirection,” documents…US, Saudi, and Israeli intentions to create and deploy sectarian extremists region-wide to confront Iran, Syria, and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Hersh would note that these “sectarian extremists” were either tied to Al Qaeda, or Al Qaeda itself. The ISIS army moving toward Baghdad is the final manifestation of this conspiracy, a standing army operating with impunity, threatening to topple the Syrian government, purge pro-Iranian forces in Iraq, and even threatening Iran itself by building a bridge from Al Qaeda’s NATO safe havens in Turkey, across northern Iraq, and up to Iran’s borders directly… It is a defacto re-invasion of Iraq by Western interests – but this time without Western forces directly participating – rather a proxy force the West is desperately attempting to disavow any knowledge of or any connection to.” (America’s Covert Re-Invasion of Iraq, Tony Cartalucci, Information Clearinghouse) So, now we’re getting to the crux of the matter, right? Now we should be able to identify the policy that is guiding events. What we know for sure is that the US wants to break Iran’s grip on Iraq. But how do they plan to achieve that; that’s the question? Well, they could use their old friends the Baathists who they’ve been in touch with since 2007. That might work. But then they’d have to add a few jihadis to the mix to make it look believable. Okay. But does that mean that Obama is actively supporting Isis? No, not necessarily. Isis is already connected to other Intel agencies and might not need direct support from the US. (Note: Many analysts have stated that the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) receives generous donations from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, both of whom are staunch US allies. According to London’s Daily Express: “through allies such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the West (has) supported militant rebel groups which have since mutated into ISIS and other al‑Qaeda connected militias. ( Daily Telegraph, June 12, 2014) What’s important as far as Obama is concerned, is that the strategic objectives of Isis and those of the United States coincide. Both entities seek greater political representation for Sunnis, both want to minimize Iranian influence in Iraq, and both support a soft partition plan that former president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Leslie H. Gelb, called “The only viable strategy to correct (Iraq ‘s) historical defect and move in stages toward a three-state solution: Kurds in the north, Sunnis in the center and Shiites in the south.” This is why Obama hasn’t attacked the militia even though it has marched to within 50 miles of Baghdad. It’s because the US benefits from these developments. Let’s summarize: Does the US Government “support” or “not support” terrorism depending on the situation? Yes. Have foreign Intel agencies supplied terrorist organizations in Syria with weapons and logistical support? Yes. Has the CIA? Yes. Has the Obama administration signaled that they would like to get rid of al Maliki or greatly reduce his power? Yes. Is this because they think the present arrangement strengthens Iran’s regional influence? Yes. Will Isis invade Baghdad? No. (This is just a guess, but I expect that something has been already worked out between the Obama team and the Baathist leaders. If Baghdad was really in danger, Obama would probably be acting with greater earnestness.) Will Syria and Iraq be partitioned? Yes. Is Isis a CIA creation? No. According to Ziad Fadel, “ISIS is the creation of the one man who played Alqaeda like a yo-yo. Bandar bin Sultan.” Does Isis take orders from Washington or the CIA? Probably not, although their actions appear to coincide with US strategic objectives. (which is the point!) Is Obama’s reluctance to launch an attack on Isis indicate that he wants to diminish Iran’s power in Iraq, redraw the map of the Middle East, and create politically powerless regions run by warlords and tribal leaders? Yes, yes and yes. MIKE WHITNEY lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion (AK Press). Mike Whitney lives in Washington state. He is a contributor to Hopeless: Barack Obama and the Politics of Illusion(AK Press). Hopeless is also available in a Kindle edition. He can be reached at fergiewhitney@msn.com. ============================================================================== Video by Fadhil al-Milani clarifies position after Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani called for citizens living in Iraq to join military Share 576 1 inShare.1 Email Shiv Malik The Guardian, Sunday 15 June 2014 14.26 EDT Volunteer Iragi fighters in Baghdad carry a portrait of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Volunteer Iragi fighters in Baghdad carry a portrait of Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Photograph: Reuters British Muslims have been urged by one of the UK's most senior Shia clerics not to fly to Iraq to battle militants of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) currently rampaging through the country. In a video appeal, Muslims were told on Friday they should not get involved in armed conflict but were asked to give "every assistance" to those fighting against Isis. The eight-and-a-half-minute video by Fadhil al-Milani, an imam from the Al-Khoei foundation in west London, came after a call during Friday prayers in Iraq by Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of Shia Islam's most revered clerics, for citizens to bear arms and sign up for the military. Thousands of Iraqis have already heeded Sistani's request to fight Isis's forces, who have openly declared their intention to massacre Shias and destroy their holy shrines in the cities of Karbala and Najaf. Initial reporting of Sistani's call to arms caused confusion among Muslims in north-west London as some began planning travel arrangements, believing the pronouncement was an order for all Shia Muslims around the world to fight.

"Within an hour [of Sistani's broadcast] I got a phone call to say that people were already booking flights to Iraq," said Amir Taki of Ahl-ul-Bayt a Shia television channel, based in London. "People were calling the station to ask if they should go to fight. There was so much confusion," Taki said.

To stem the confusion, the English-speaking Dr Milani was asked to clarify Sistani's Arabic pronouncements and what their impact was for Shias in the west. "Dr Milani made it clear that Ayatollah Sistani was calling on citizens of Iraq living in that country only to fight and even then, only by joining the official security forces. This was not a call for open jihad." Reading this on mobile? Click here to view video In his video, which was uploaded on to YouTube, Milani said Iraqi Shias would "struggle and resist" until their "last drop of blood" but said there was "no need for anyone from outside to come and help". Innes Bowen, author of the recently published Medina in Birmingham, Najaf in Brent , a book about Sunni and Shia networks in Britain, said it was understandable that any pronouncement by Sistani, who has millions of followers around the world, would have a huge impact in the UK. "Sistani is by far the most important cleric as far as Shia Muslims in Britain are concerned. Many people assume that Shia Muslims look to the Islamic authorities in Iran for guidance. But most Shia in Britain and around the world regard Sistani, who lives in Iraq, as far more important," Bowen said. With gruesome pictures emerging of the slaughter of Shia Muslims by Isis combatants, Taki said emotions were running very high and Britons might still travel to Iraq under their own steam especially if holy sites in Najaf and Kerbala came under attack. "Don't get me wrong, people are very emotional … they don't know what to do and you can't control people." "You can imagine obviously that there's something you kind of revere so much … your wife or your mother and she's under attack, that's how people see it – that Kerbala or Najaf are more important than their own lives. "[If an attack] happens, they would consider it – they would want to go. But they have a huge respect for Sistani and if he says do not go they have to listen to him because you don't want to create more problems," Taki said. An IT specialist from south London who preferred not be named said young Shia men he had spoken in the past couple of days were despondent. "I was at the mosque yesterday … and there are a lot of youth talking about that [going out to Iraq] … They feel helpless. Their places of worship are being attacked and they can't do nothing and that's how it all starts, from 'we can't do nothing', to packing your bags and going." He said his own children were too young to fight but said he could imagine sending them if Kerbala came under siege itself. "A lot of people [in the UK] are willing to defend Kerbala. And to be honest with you, if my son was of a much older age and he turned around to me and said, 'Look, I want to go and fight', I'd send him on his way." During the video Milani, who has a PhD in Islamic philosophy from Oxford, described Isis as "a group of terrorists" who felt "free to destroy everything, to rob, to kill and to sack" people's homelands. He stressed the fight was not a sectarian one between Shia and Sunni but a battle to defend the nation and that Shia would "struggle and resist all of this until [the] last drop of blood in our veins". However, he said: "There is no need for anyone from outside to come and help them because they are capable of doing so [themselves]. "It is the duty of all those who seek and are after justice, freedom … here to support them to offer them every assistance," he added, so that those in Iraq did not feel abandoned. The Foreign Office said that its travel advice was clear and that except for the Kurdistan region people should not be journeying to Iraq for non-essential reasons. They added that people should stay entirely clear of the Ramadi district, Falluja, and the Nineveh, Salah-ad-Din and Diyala provinces. ======== Iran vows to defend Iraq Shi'ite sites; insurgents battle for refinery Wed, Jun 18 11:19 AM EDT image 1 of 9 By Ghazwan Hassan BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Sunni rebels battled their way into the biggest oil refinery in Iraq on Wednesday, and the president of neighbouring Iran raised the prospect of intervening in a sectarian war that threatens to sweep across Middle East frontiers. Sunni fighters were in control of three quarters of the territory of the Baiji refinery north of Baghdad, an official said there, after a morning of heavy fighting at gates defended by elite troops who have been under siege for a week. A lightning advance has seen Sunni fighters rout the Shi'ite-led government's army and seize the main cities across the north of the country since last week. The fighters are led by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant which aims to build a Sunni caliphate ruled on mediaeval precepts, but also include a broad spectrum of more moderate Sunnis furious at what they see as oppression by Baghdad. Some international oil companies have pulled out foreign workers. The head of Iraq's southern oil company, Dhiya Jaffar, said Exxon Mobil (XOM.N) had conducted a major evacuation and BP (BP.L) had pulled out 20 percent of its staff. He criticised the moves, as the areas where oil is produced for export are mainly in the Shi'ite south and far from the fighting. Washington and other Western capitals are trying to save Iraq as a united country by leaning hard on Shi'ite Prime Minister to reach out to Sunnis. Maliki met Sunni and Kurdish political opponents overnight, concluding with a frosty, carefully staged joint appearance at which an appeal for national unity was read out. In a televised address on Wednesday Maliki appealed to tribes to renounce "those who are killers and criminals who represent foreign agendas". But so far Maliki's government has relied almost entirely on his fellow Shi'ites for support, with officials denouncing Sunni political leaders as traitors. Shi'ite militia - many believed to be funded and backed by Iran - have mobilised to halt the Sunni advance, as Baghdad's million-strong army, built by the United States at a cost of $25 billion, crumbles. Like the civil war in Syria next door, the new fighting threatens to draw in regional neighbours, mustering along sectarian lines in what fighters on both sides depict as an existential struggle for survival based on a religious rift dating to the 7th Century. HOLY SHRINES Iran's President Hassan Rouhani made the clearest declaration yet that the Middle East's main Shi'ite power, which fought a war against Iraq that killed a million people in the 1980s, was prepared to intervene to protect Iraq's great shrines of Shi'ite imams, visited by millions of pilgrims each year. "Regarding the holy Shi'a shrines in Karbala, Najaf, Kadhimiya and Samarra, we announce to the killers and terrorists that the great Iranian nation will not hesitate to protect holy shrines," Rouhani said in an address to a crowd on live TV. He said many people had signed up to go to Iraq to fight, although he also said Iraqis of all sects were prepared to defend themselves: "Thanks be to God, I will tell the dear people of Iran that veterans and various forces - Sunnis Shias and Kurds all over Iraq - are ready for sacrifice." Iraqi troops are holding off Sunni fighters outside Samarra north of Baghdad, site of one of the main Shi'ite shrines. The fighters have vowed to carry their offensive south to Najaf and Kerbala, seats of Shi'ite Islam since the Middle Ages. Saudi Arabia, the region's main Sunni power, said Iraq was hurtling towards civil war. Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal, in words clearly aimed at Iran and at Baghdad's Shi'ite rulers, deplored the prospect of "foreign intervention" and said governments need to meet "legitimate demands of the people". Maliki's government has accused Saudi Arabia of promoting "genocide" by backing Sunni militants. Riyadh supports Sunni fighters in Syria but denies aiding ISIL. The Baiji refinery is the fighters' immediate goal, the biggest source of fuel for domestic consumption in Iraq, which would give them a firm grip on energy supply in the north where the local population has complained of fuel shortages. The refinery was shut on Tuesday and foreign workers flown out by helicopter.

"The militants have managed to break in to the refinery. Now they are in control of the production units, administration building and four watch towers. This is 75 percent of the refinery," an official speaking from inside the refinery said. The government denied the refinery had fallen. Counter-terrorism spokesman, Sabah Nouri, insisted forces were still in control and had killed 50 to 60 fighters and burned 6 or 7 insurgent vehicles after being attacked from three directions.

FROSTY MEETING Last week's sudden advance by ISIL - a group that declares all Shi'ites to be heretics deserving death and has proudly distributed footage of its fighters gunning down prisoners lying prone in mass graves - is a test for U.S. President Barack Obama, who pulled U.S. troops out of Iraq in 2011. Obama has ruled out sending back ground troops but is considering other military options to help defend Baghdad, and U.S. officials have even spoken of cooperating with Tehran against the mutual foe. But U.S. and other international officials insist Maliki must do more to address the widespread sense of political exclusion among Sunnis, the minority that ran Iraq until U.S. troops deposed dictator Saddam Hussein after the 2003 invasion. Western countries fear an ISIL-controlled mini-state in Syria and Iraq could become a haven for militants who could then stage attacks around the globe. British prime minister David Cameron told parliament he disagreed "with those people who think this is nothing to do with us and if they want to have some sort of extreme Islamist regime in the middle of Iraq it won't affect us. It will. "The people in that regime, as well as trying to take territory, are also planning to attack us at home in the United Kingdom," Cameron said. In a rerun of previous failed efforts at bridging sectarian and ethnic divisions, Shi'ite, Sunni and Kurdish leaders met late Tuesday behind closed doors. They later stood frostily before cameras as Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a Shi'ite politician who held the post of prime minister before Maliki, read a statement.

"No terrorist powers represent any sect or religion," Jaafari said in the address, which included a broad promise of "reviewing the previous course" of Iraqi politics. Afterwards, most of the leaders, including Maliki and Usama al-Nujaifi, the leading Sunni present, walked away from each other in silence.

Though the joint statement said only those directly employed by the Iraqi state should bear arms, thousands of Shi'ite militiamen have been mobilised to defend Baghdad. According to one Shi'ite Islamist working in the government, well-trained organisations Asaib Ahl Haq, Khataeb Hezbollah and the Badr Organisation are now being deployed alongside Iraqi military units as the main combat force. With battles now raging just an hour's drive north of the capital, Baghdad is on edge. The city of 7 million people saw fierce sectarian street fighting from 2006-1007 and is still divided into Sunni and Shi'ite districts, some protected by razor wire and concrete blast walls. India said it was worried about 40 Indian construction workers missing in territory seized by ISIL. (Reporting By Ghazwan Hassan, Ahmed Rasheed, Ned Parker; Editing by Giles Elgood) ========= فرصة لا ندري ان كانت ستتكرر في حياتنا يارب اشهد ان قلوبنا معهم Q/ What is the status of he who is killed in the Jihad against ‪#‎ISIS‬ and what are the required consequences? A/ He is a martyr. If the Muslims reached him while he's dead, then there's no necessity for making him ghusl nor Takfeen and he is to be buried with his own clothes. If they caught him while still breathing, then they have to make him ghusl. ================================= Judge who sentenced Saddam Hussein to death 'is captured and executed by ISIS' Raouf Abdul Rahman sentenced the dictator to death by hanging in 2006 He was reportedly captured and killed by militants last week Iraqi government is yet to confirm his death, but have not denied his capture Judge thought to have been killed in retaliation for death of Saddam Hussein By Lucy Crossley Published: 22:32 GMT, 22 June 2014 | Updated: 14:04 GMT, 23 June 2014 12,863 shares 115 View comments The judge who sentenced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to death has been captured and executed by ISIS militants, it is claimed. Raouf Abdul Rahman, who sentenced the dictator to death by hanging in 2006, was reportedly killed by rebels in retaliation for the execution of the 69-year-old. His death has not been confirmed by the Iraqi government, but officials had not denied reports of his capture last week. Judge: Raouf Abdul Rahman who sentenced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to death has reportedly been captured and executed by ISIS militants +3 Former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein sits as his charges were read by the Judge Rahman +3 Judge: Raouf Abdul Rahman (left) who sentenced former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein (right) to death has reportedly been captured and executed by ISIS militants He is believed to have been arrested on June 16, and died two days later. Jordanian MP Khalil Attieh wrote on his Facebook page that Judge Rahman, who had headed the Supreme Iraqi Criminal Tribunal during Saddam's trial, had been arrested and sentenced to death. 'Iraqi revolutionaries arrested him and sentenced him to death in retaliation for the death of the martyr Saddam Hussein,' he said, according to Al-Mesyroon. Attieh also said that Judge Rahman had unsuccessfully attempted to escape from Baghdad disguised in a dancer's costume. More... Four key Iraqi towns fall to ISIS militants backed by Sunni Muslim fighters as country teeters on brink of sectarian conflict 'Send your own children first': Message from distraught father of British-born ISIS fighters to the UK extremists who brainwashed his sons A lethal new class of British jihadi: Second fanatic in ISIS recruitment video went to same Cardiff college as the first and once dreamed of becoming prime minister. Now he says: 'Muslims who don't join us will die a painful death' The Facebook page for Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, Saddam's former deputy who has emerged as a key figure among the Sunni militants, also posted that the rebels had been able to arrest Judge Rahman. Judge Rahmann, who was born in the Kurdish town of Halabja, took over midway through the trial in January 2006 after previous judge Rizgar Amin was criticised for being too lenient in his dealings with Hussein and his co-defendants. The father of three had graduated from Baghdad University's law school in 1963 and worked as a lawyer before he was appointed as the chief judge of the Kurdistan Appeals Court in 1996. On trial: The former Iraqi president gives his account to Judge Rahman during his trial in 2006 +3 On trial: The former Iraqi president gives his account to Judge Rahman during his trial in 2006 He oversaw Saddam's trial for crimes against humanity over the killing of 148 people in the town of Dujail following an assassination attempt in 1982, and sentenced him to death by hanging following the guilty verdict. Judge Rahman had faced claims that he was biased as his home town had been the subject of a poison gas attack in 1988, allegedly ordered by Hussein. A number of Judge Rahman's relatives were among the 5,000 people killed in the attack, and during the 1980s he was also reportedly detained and tortured by Saddam's security agents. The judge later criticised the way the execution was carried out in December 2006, saying in 2008 that it should not have been carried out in public and branding it 'uncivilised and backward'. The hanging had taken place as Sunni Muslims were celebrating the religious festival Eid al-Adha, and a video of the execution showed the former leader being taunted by members of the Shi'ite group. In March 2007 it was reported that Judge Rahman had applied for asylum in Britain after travelling to the UK with his family on a tourist visa, claiming he feared for his life. He never commented on the claims, which were denied by the Iraqi High Criminal Court Tribunal which said he had merely been in the UK for a holiday. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2665360/Judge-sentenced-Saddam-Hussein-death-captured-executed-ISIS.html#ixzz35Z4XCEEG Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook ===================

Shia mosque attacked in New York‏ , NY officials condemn mosque raid

Mon, 02 Jan 2012 16:21:56 GMT New York Police Department (NYPD) is investigating a rash of Molotov cocktail attacks on a Shia Islamic center and two nearby houses, as a possible hate crimes, Press TV reports. New York's Fire Department says a blaze outside the Imam al-Khoei Foundation building in Queens was brought under control quickly after a call came in at about 9 p.m. on Sunday. The homemade explosives were also thrown at two nearby houses between 8p.m. and 10:15 p.m. on Sunday, heavily damaging one of the buildings. Fire marshals and police are investigating the four bottle-bombings as possible hate crimes, a Press TV correspondent reported. According to the police all of the targets were within two miles of each other and the attacks are possibly linked. Up to 80 people were at the Islamic center at 89-89 Van Wyck Expressway when the incident happened. However there were no reports of injuries. An eye witness, who attends the mosque, says one of the explosives was made inside a Starbucks Frappuccino bottle. In the United States, 73 percent of young people aged 18 to 29 say Muslims are the most discriminated against, according to the Washington Times. NY officials condemn mosque raid Tue, 03 Jan 2012 03:27:38 GMT New York officials have condemned attacks on a Shia Islamic center and two nearby houses in the city, saying an investigation is being conducted into the incident. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Monday that the assaults "stand in stark contrast to the New York City of today that we've built together.” "Personnel from the NYPD's Hate Crimes Unit and the 103rd Precinct's Detective Squad are moving at full steam to investigate and also determine if there are any connections to incidents outside New York City," Bloomberg added. Late Sunday, the Imam al-Khoei Foundation building in Queens neighborhood came under attack when a man threw homemade bombs at its main entrance. Up to 100 people were at the center when the incident happened. However there were no reports of injuries. Two similar attacks occurred in the same neighborhood on Sunday -- one in a convenience store run by Muslims and one at a house used as a temple by Hindu worshipers. According to the police, all of the targets were within two miles of each other and the attacks are possibly linked. In the United States, 73 percent of young people aged 18 to 29 say Muslims are the most discriminated against, according to the Washington Times. Muslim community leaders say their civil rights have been whittled away since 9/11, especially as a result of intrusive police surveillance. Last week, a group of Muslim leaders boycotted an annual interreligious event held by the New York mayor to protest brutal police tactics. The group denounced the "very disturbing revelations" in media reports detailing how the city police have been "monitoring and profiling virtually every layer of NYC Muslim public life, often with no suspicion of wrongdoing.”

UPDATE 2-Iraqis look to US foe Sadr to help stabilise state

06 Jan 2011

Source: reuters // Reuters
مقتدي الصدر يعود من قم إلي النجف ويستأنف نشاطه بزيارة مصالحة للسيستاني

النجف ــ علي الشمري:
عاد زعيم التيار الصدري مقتدي الصدر امس الي مقره في النجف، بعد اربع سنوات قضاها في ايران، كما اعلن مصدر في التيار الصدري الذي أضاف ان "مقتدي الصدر وصل الي النجف برفقة عدد من كبار مساعديه بينهم مصطفي اليعقوبي ومحمد الساعدي وحيدر الجابري". وتزامنت عودة الصدر مع زيارة ابراهيم الجعفري رئيس التحالف الوطني الي طهران التي لا يزال فيها.


* Lawmakers, Iraqis celebrate Sadr's homecoming

* Some apprehension over Sadr's role in Iraq

* For key facts about Sadr, click on [ID:nLDE704198] * Factbox on outlook for Sadr, Iraq, click [ID:nLDE7050TH] (Adds U.S. general's comments, paragraphs 7-8)

By Muhanad Mohammed

NAJAF, Iraq, Jan 6 (Reuters) - A mixture of euphoria and cautious hope greeted anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr on Thursday, a day after his return to Iraq from exile, and many Iraqis looked to him to help stabilise their war-torn country.

Hundreds of Sadr's followers in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf celebrated his homecoming from Iran, and the possible transformation into a mainstream politician of a man once associated with black-clad death squads that roamed Iraq.

Sadr, who led two uprisings against U.S. forces after the 2003 invasion, cemented his movement's position in the new coalition government after playing a crucial role in putting Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki back in power for a second term.

His return was possible also because of declining U.S. clout ahead of a full military withdrawal by the end of this year.

Sadr's support of Maliki is thought to have been brokered in part by Iran, and his years in exile under Iranian patronage may have increased Tehran's influence on him. But diplomats say he is ultimately an Iraqi nationalist, and an unpredictable and enigmatic leader unlikely to heed the wishes of others.

His followers were seen to be behind much of the violence at the height of fighting in 2006-07 between majority Shi'ites and once dominant Sunnis, and are still regarded with suspicion by many, particularly Washington.

"I believe that he's here based on political purpose and that's the appropriate way to participate in the political process," said Lieutenant General Robert Cone, the U.S. deputy commanding general for operations in Iraq.

"We know what Moqtada al Sadr's political statements have been in regard to turning away from violence."

In Baghdad's sprawling Shi'ite slum of Sadr City, a Sadr stronghold, many rejoiced.

"We Iraqis are delighted at the return of Sayyed and leader Moqtada al-Sadr, above all because he is now part of the political process," said Sadr City resident Salih al-Daraji, giving Sadr the title accorded in the Islamic world to descendants of the Prophet Mohammad.

"The Sayyed does not differentiate between Sunnis and Shi'ites or Christians; all Iraqis are equals."


SADR TELLS FAITHFUL TO CALM DOWN

Sadr, who met some tribal leaders on Thursday, chastised his followers for the jubilant welcome he received on Wednesday, saying it could hurt his reputation.

His statement suggested that he wanted to put what critics called his rabble-rousing past behind him and anchor himself and his movement in a more mainstream position.

"The lack of discipline of some of you during my performance of religious rituals and public matters bothers me and harms me, so I hope that you will exercise discipline and stop the excessive chants and stampedes," Sadr said in a statement.

Sadrist officials said he had indicated he planned to remain in Iraq, but Sadr himself made no announcements. His officials say the government has guaranteed his safety and freedom from arrest.

Politicians, both allies and former foes, welcomed Sadr, saying his return showed his support for the government.

"The return of the Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr to Iraq shows evidence of peace and security in the Iraqi political atmosphere generally," said Mustafa al-Hiti, a leader in the Iraqiya bloc, which is heavily supported by minority Sunni Muslims.

The Sadrist movement secured 39 seats in the new parliament and has seven ministries in Maliki's new government.

Sadr's Mehdi Army militia was once seen by the United States as the biggest threat to Iraq's security.

The group, which says it has laid down its arms, was crushed by Iraqi and U.S. forces in 2008 and Sadr has forbidden it to commit violence against other Iraqis.

"I am sure there are people who are trying to taint the reputation of the Mehdi Army and the Sadr movement because we entered the political process," said Fadhil Issa, 50, a jobless Baghdad resident who travelled to Najaf to see Sadr.

"We, as the Mehdi Army and the Sadr movement, support the security forces, and things of the past will not be repeated."

Maliki warned in Baghdad in a speech marking armed forces day no one would be allowed to "tamper" with Iraq's security.

"Our (security) apparatus, our army, our political forces, our citizens, all stand ready to confront any challenge or any breach of our internal security or external security," he said, without naming any person or group.

While diminished in stature by years of self-imposed exile, Sadr retains a zealous following among the young and poor. He fled Iraq in 2006 or 2007 to escape an old arrest warrant, and is believed to have pursued religious studies in Shi'ite Iran.

"God willing, the political process will continue with his return, and reconstruction will begin because of it," said Sadr City resident Mohammed Khalef. (Additional reporting by Khaled Farhan in Najaf, and Aseel Kami and Suadad al-Salhy in Baghdad; Writing by Serena Chaudhry; editing by Tim Pearce and Jason Neely)

======

Return of the kingmaker

After four years of self-imposed exile in Iran, radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr returns to an Iraqi political scene where his clout has never been greater.


Shiite cleric and political leader Moqtada al-Sadr addresses supporters in the southern city of Basra on February 26, 2006, shortly before his self-imposed exile in Iran. (ESSAM AL-SUDANI/AFP/Getty Images)
By Daniel W. Smith, Ben Van Heuvelen, and Staff
Published January 5, 2011
BAGHDAD - The cleric Moqtada al-Sadr is back in Iraq. The populist Shiite leader has spent four years in self-imposed exile in Iran, and now returns more influential than ever, after his political bloc gave decisive support to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s bid for a second term.

Sadr landed at Najaf airport on Wednesday afternoon, according to a senior Sadrist official, and made an evening visit to the shrine of Imam Ali. Footage broadcast on the state-run Iraqiya channel showed Sadr surrounded by hundreds of supporters who shouted his name and jostled to get a glimpse of the religious leader.

“The return of Sayyed Moqtada to Iraq means a lot of things to Iraqis,” said Sadrist MP Awad Mohsim al-Awadi. “It means the stability of Iraq and the political process.”

The cleric is a staunch nationalist who has called for a review of all oil contracts with foreign oil companies. On his website he recently counseled a follower not to accept a job from a British oil services company because that country had participated in the U.S.-led invasion and occupation of Iraq.

Sadr’s return underscores his growing and increasingly mainstream political profile. As recently as 2008, Sadrist militias were targeted by Iraqi security forces in a high-profile campaign spearheaded by Prime Minister Maliki. Now, in a remarkable turnaround, Sadr has gained considerable political capital with his erstwhile foe by leading his electoral bloc – among the largest and most cohesive in Iraq – into Maliki’s coalition.

A signature achievement of Maliki’s first term was his administration’s ability to broker 11 contracts with the world’s largest oil companies, which aim to increase Iraqi production capacity from under 3 million barrels per day (bpd) to more than 13 million bpd in seven years. Those plans have drawn criticism from populist leaders, Sadr foremost among them, who charge that foreign companies threaten Iraq’s economic sovereignty.
The Sadrists won 43 seats in the March 7, 2010 elections – more than any other single party – on a platform that criticized foreign, and especially western, intervention in Iraq.

Sadrists have called for a review of the past year’s oil contracts, pointing out that they were signed in the absence of constitutionally mandated (and perpetually stalled) legislation that would clarify the lines of authority over the oil sector. The party has also opposed the extension of agreements with American and British forces designed to support and train a fledgling Iraqi military.

Sadr’s return likely signals his intensifying bid to solidify his political clout. The formation of Iraq’s new government is a work in progress, with several leadership positions still undecided. A Sadrist MP has already been named deputy speaker of Parliament, yet key posts remain up for grabs, including leadership of the Ministry of State for National Security and positions on a newly formed, high-level policy council whose power could potentially check the prime minister.

“His eminence (Sadr) played an important role in the forming of the national government,” said Awadi. “He will be like the safety valve to the national sharing government and to the whole political blocs and process.”

Leaders from the rest of Iraq’s political spectrum have offered guarded expressions of hope that the return of such a politically charged figure will not destabilize the fragile unity of the new governing coalition.

“He is one of the main players in Iraq now,” said Mahmoud Othman, a Kurdish MP. “He was influencing the political process before. Now he is back, and will be able to use his influence even more, whether it is negatively or positively. I hope it will all be positive.”

“We hope from the return of Sayyed Moqtada al-Sadr for the continuing support to the national government and the joined political process,” said Shaker Kitab, an Iraqiya MP. “In addition to that, (his) return will give also push forward to our brothers the Sadrists to have easier channels of contacts with their leadership.”

Iraq Oil Report called nearly a dozen officials within Maliki’s State of Law coalition, but none were answering their phones. Neither Maliki’s office nor State of Law has issued any public statement on Sadr’s return.

On the topic of Sadr, State of Law’s one public gesture today was a visit by Ali al-Dabbagh, a close Maliki ally and official government spokesman, to a delegation of tribal leaders in Baghdad’s Sadr City, where they discussed “ways of cooperation with the government to make it… a government of real national partnership,” according to a statement from Dabbagh’s office.

Sadr had been studying in Qom, the Iranian hub of Islamic scholarship, to become an ayatollah like his father, Mohammad Mohammad Sadeq al-Sadr – an iconic figure of Shiite nationalism who was assassinated in Najaf in 1999 after leading a resistance movement against Saddam Hussein. In the aftermath of the 2003 invasion, the younger Sadr capitalized on his family name to become a prominent force against the American-led occupation.

The military face of Sadr’s movement was the Mahdi Army, which not only targeted American and coalition soldiers but also engaged in sectarian warfare and extortion. The political wing of the movement joined Maliki’s coalition after the 2005 elections, but withdrew in 2007 as Sadr himself left for Iran – ostensibly to pursue religious studies, but also likely for fear that Maliki, in concert with the American “surge,” would pursue the enforcement of a long-standing arrest warrant against him.
In early 2008, the prime minister led a campaign dubbed “Operation Charge of the Knights” against Mahdi Army strongholds in Baghdad’s Sadr City and in Basra. That action hardened the enmity between Maliki and Sadr.

With last year’s national election, however, the political equation changed. The Sadrist movement deliberately pivoted to become a political powerhouse, ordering the Mahdi Army to lay down its arms and elevating experts in political organizing to lead the organization’s electoral resurgence.

After the election, the two top blocs were State of Law and the Sunni-backed Iraqiyya coalition, which together had enough votes to form a governing majority – yet their two respective leaders, Maliki and former prime minister Ayad Allawi, were locked in a months-long stalemate. As the figurehead of the next-largest parliamentary bloc, Sadr was the potential kingmaker.

American officials tried hard to mediate a deal between Maliki and Allawi, in large part because they feared any scenario that would give leverage to Sadr, whom they view as an element of Iranian influence. In the end, although Allawi’s Iraqiya party did finally join Maliki’s coalition government, it was Sadr who broke the stalemate by partnering with Maliki, in a deal reportedly brokered by Iran.
In exchange for their support, the Sadrists have already gotten several big wins. They garnered the release of imprisoned allies, and secured three governorships as well as positions across government ministries. At a minimum, Sadr’s return increases his party’s clout as they jockey for the remaining pieces of the leadership pie. In the longer term, it gives the Sadrists a figurehead – and a bully pulpit – for advocating their policies.

Sadr is staying at his family home in the al-Hanana district in Najaf city. Nobody close to Sadr has provided information on the status of Sadr’s religious training, or whether he plans to return to Qom. Some Sadrist officials have indicated that the cleric is here to stay, while others have declined to say.

“As long as he is an active part of the government,” said Othman, the Kurdish MP, “then I think that is better that he be inside (Iraq), rather than outside.”
Iraqi staff reporting from Baghdad are anonymous for their security. Daniel W. Smith contributed from Baghdad. Ben Van Heuvelen and Ben Lando contributed from New York.


====


Radical Iraqi cleric urges resistance against US Buzz up! .. AP – A supporter of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr chants slogans as followers gather to watch the …
. Slideshow:Iraq .
Play Video Terrorism Video:3rd parcel ignites in DC, mailed to Napolitano AP .
Play Video Terrorism Video:Pakistan Averts Political Collapse FOX News .
– 34 mins ago
NAJAF, Iraq – Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is calling the U.S., Israel, and Britain "common enemies" against Iraq and is urging his Shiite followers to resist what he called "the occupiers" by all means.

The radical cleric's comments Saturday came in his first public speech in Iraq since his self-imposed exile to Iran nearly four years ago.

He told the crowd of thousands to "reject America" and urged his followers to "target only the occupier with all means of resistance."

He said Iraqis should not kill Iraqis.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

NAJAF, Iraq (AP) — Anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is giving his first speech to followers since returning to Iraq from nearly four years of self-imposed exile in Iran.

The powerful cleric was greeted by shouts of "Long live the leader" outside his ancestral home Followers and detractors alike will be watching his speech for signs of what direction he'll take his political movement.in the holy Shiite city of Najaf.

Thousands of Iraqis crowded the streets to see the firebrand leader, an influential figure in Iraq who heads a fearsome militia as well as an organized political movement.

===

"We still resist the occupier, by military resistance, and all the means of resistance," he told the crowd of thousands of his followers, saying the Iraqi people should protect their countrymen, AFP reported.

"Our hand will not touch any Iraqi... we only target the occupier, by all means of resistance. We are one people. We don't agree with some groups that carry out assassinations," Sadr went on to say.

"Yes, yes for Moqtada! Yes, yes for the leader!" the crowd responded to Sadr while waving Iraqi flags.

The Iraqi cleric further called for unity and urged the nation to give the new government a chance to serve them.

Sadr's predominantly Shia bloc aired off a strong show of power in last year's parliamentary elections and later gave key support to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, who was finally re-elected and formed a new cabinet.

According to a deal between Sadr movement and Maliki, the group, with 39 seats in parliament, has been given seven ministerial posts in the cabinet.

Sadrist supporters from Baghdad, including top-ranking officials in his political faction, streamed to Najaf, 160 kilometers (100 miles) south of the capital, for the occasion.

His group said that Sadr is not visiting Iraq, but is back here to stay.

2.Reidar Visser said
Friday, 7 January 2011 16:57 at 16:57
Amagi, I think that would happen if the issue that is most vital to Iraq’s economic well-being, the oil sector and how to run it, came on the political agenda in a real way. That would separate the rabble-rousers(A leader or speaker who stirs up the passions of the masses; a demagogue.
) and opportunists from those with a true long-term vision for the people of Iraq.
Posted by Reidar Visser on Thursday, 6 January 2011 14:30

The media is full of speculation about the return of Muqtada al-Sadr and what it means for Iraqi politics. The truth of the matter is we probably won’t know for some time yet. What is worse, though, is that whereas all the discussion of problems in Iraqi politics right now seems focused on Sadr and what it means for Iranian power in Iraq, the more gradual and less spectacular destruction of the Iraqi state in the name of a system of ethno-sectarian quota-sharing favoured by Iran continues on a daily basis.

In other words, Iraqi politicians don’t need Sadr’s help in order to disassemble their own nation. They’re doing quite fine in that respect already. Take the lingering issue of the deputies of the president.


The case of the deputies of the president and the way it gets overshadowed by Muqtada al-Sadr just underlines how Iran’s sophisticated strategy of achieving influence in Iraq is succeeding thanks to American misreadings of what that strategy is. Alarm clocks appear to go off in Washington whenever there is mention of Muqtada; however Iran’s more basic strategy of keeping the Iraqis preoccupied with the game of ethno-sectarian quotas is promoted and even celebrated by the Americans. It should be a hint to Washington that Muqtada is not the sole VIP traveller between Iraq and Iran right now: This week also sees visits to Iraq by the Iranian foreign ministers and Kurdish leaders plus Ibrahim al-Jaafari of the Shiite alliance going to Iran.

The key question going forward is more than what Sadr will do. Rather it is about whether the new government can stop thinking about silly quotas, dozens of useless deputy president positions and made-up interpretations of the constitution aimed at perpetuating the system of sinecures, and instead build a strong and coherent government capable of confronting whatever cards Muqtada may have up his sleeve.

ANALYSIS-Iraq cleric's clout(influence) does not bode well for US presence08 Jan 2011

Source: reuters // Reuters


* Sadr's return pressures Maliki to keep to US withdrawal

* Shi'ite cleric still fiercely anti-American


By Serena Chaudhry

BAGHDAD, Jan 8 (Reuters) - The political power of anti-U.S. Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr increases the pressure on Iraq's new government to reject any effort to extend a U.S. military presence after the last U.S. soldier leaves this year.

Sadr, a firebrand still capable of rousing millions of Shi'ite supporters, told a rapturous audience on Saturday to oppose the United States, using his first speech since returning from self-imposed exile in Iran to reaffirm his anti-U.S. credentials. [ID:nLDE70701J]

The scion of a powerful Shi'ite family led two uprisings against U.S. soldiers and his Mehdi Army militia was at the forefront of much of the sectarian violence unleashed after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion.

His militia has since laid down its arms and Sadr's movement has turned its sights on the political arena, garnering seven ministries in the new government and proving instrumental in securing a second term for Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki.

That clout, and Sadr's presence, is likely to give Maliki even less room to manoeuvre at the end of 2011, when all U.S. forces must withdraw under a bilateral security pact but Iraq will not be ready to fully defend its borders from attack.

"Sadr will try to use his presence to stiffen the resolve of as many other Iraqi players as possible, including Maliki, to stick with the stated commitment that the United States should leave as planned," Wayne White, adjunct scholar from the Middle East Institute, said.

Maliki has said the joint security pact will not be renegotiated and that all U.S. troops, now numbering fewer than 50,000 compared to a peak of 170,000, must leave, but he has held open the possibility that the Iraqi parliament might approve some sort of extended presence if needed.

Iraq has built up sizeable new ground forces, under U.S. tutelage, but its fledgling air force will not be ready to defend the country until after it receives its first expected fighter jets in 2014.

Its military also continues to struggle against a stubborn insurgency, while Kurd-Arab tensions remain unresolved,

leading to speculation that Maliki may have little choice but to ask the U.S. military, and particularly the U.S. Air Force, to stay on.

Any inclination by Maliki to extend the U.S. military presence would turn Sadr -- and Shi'ite voters -- against him.

"The Maliki government and most Iraqis will want to have a relationship with the United States that serves Iraq's national interests, while demonstrating at the same time that they are fully sovereign and independent," said David Mack, a former U.S. Ambassador and Middle East Institute scholar.

POLITICAL ROLE

Since his arrival in the holy Shi'ite city of Najaf on Wednesday, Sadr has projected a more statesmanlike manner, removed from his role as a militant agitator in the past.

But his anti-U.S. rhetoric was unchanged.

The Shi'ite cleric called the United States, Britain and Israel "common enemies" and demanded that the government stick to its pledge to make all U.S. forces leave this year.

His stance will likely stir apprehension amongst Iraqis and Americans hoping the United States will be a powerful ally to the country it has had a significant foothold in, and spent considerable blood and money over, since ousting Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein.

U.S. officials say a military presence will be less important than a substantial diplomatic one in the future, but diplomatic interactions may also be constrained by Sadr's anti-U.S. influence over the government.

"The U.S. diplomatic, and security, presence will remain considerable for some years to come, but if Sadr does become a major political figure, as is likely, then this will make it less and less likely that the U.S. can exert influence from a position of strength," said Paul Rogers, a professor of peace studies at Britain's Bradford University.

Sadr's ties to U.S. foe Iran, which hosted him during his self-imposed exile and helped broker a deal between the Sadrists and Maliki, also unnerves those hoping for deep U.S. influence over Iraq in the coming years. (Additional reporting by Rania el Gamal; Editing by Michael Christie)


==============

Al-Khoei Family Threaten to Internationalize Murder Case if al-Sadr Not Arrested
06/01/2011
By Maad Fayad



London, Asharq Al- Awsat – The family of Abdul Majid al-Khoei, the former secretary-general of the Imam al-Khoei Foundation in London who was assassinated in 2003 in Najaf has threatened to internationalize this case if the Iraqi judiciary fails to take legal action against Moqtada al-Sadr, whom the family consider to be "the prime suspect in the murder of al-Khoei." Al-Khoei was killed in the holy city of Najaf on 10 April 2003 at the hands of followers of Moqtada al-Sadr.
Haidar al-Khoei, who is the son of the late Imam, spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat in London on Wednesday, following news that Moqtada al-Sadr had returned to Najaf after spending almost four years in Iran. Haidar al-Khoei told Asharq Al-Awsat that "our family trusts the Iraqi judiciary. However the Iraqi judiciary and government are facing an important practical test today to undertake legal proceedings and enforce the law by arresting Moqtada al-Sadr, as an arrest warrant was issued for him by an investigative judge in Najaf in 2004. If this does not happen, we will be forced to go to the United Nationals, on the basis that the

Imam al-Khoei Foundation has a seat at the UN, as a non-governmental organization. We will also go to human rights organizations and the European judiciary. We are also relying on the leaders of sisterly and friendly Arab and Islamic states to activate this case."<
Al-Khoei added:

"We have verified that a leading figure in the Sadrist movement, a member of the Iraqi parliament, has requested one of the investigative judges in Baghdad to change the course of the case, via false witnesses, in order to steer the blame away from the leader of the [Sadrist] trend [Moqtada al-Sadr] and instead implicate other members of the [Sadrist] trend. This is in order to move closer to al-Sadr, and also win the internal conflict within the Sadrist movement, between the Mullahs and other members. We will disclose the name of this member of parliament, as well as those of the investigative judge, and the false witnesses, who have been involved in perverting this case."

He went on to say "we have kept the original copy of the investigation, and the case file, in addition to video footage of the death of my father. There are also dozens of witnesses who have vowed to testify before the judiciary."

Al-Khoei categorically denied that "Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's involvement in the process of falsifying the case file, and we have confirmed that this file was not included in the coalition deal between the Sadrist trend and al-Maliki's State of Law bloc."

Al-Khoei also called on the Iraqi Prime Minister to involve himself in this case, saying "we call on the [Iraqi] Prime Minister [Nouri al-Maliki] who heads a bloc called the 'State of Law' to apply this slogan in practice. It is imperative to apply laws when dealing with my father’s murder case, whether the suspect is a [religious] cleric, or the leader of a political movement with ministers in the cabinet. If the law is not applied in this case, how can the people of Iraq respect the law?"

Al-Khoei also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “our family will continue to wait for legal proceedings to be enforced. We recall that the judiciary pressed charges against Saddam Hussein, and he was a former President. Thus, the fact that al-Sadr has ministers in the cabinet does not give him the right to close this file, which concerns the murder of the son of one of the most famous cleric in Shiite history, Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei”.

For his part, a senior Iraqi judicial source confirmed that "an arrest warrant, especially in a criminal case, does not have a statue of limitations [in Iraq] even if it was issued more than 100 years ago.

statute of limitations
n., pl., statutes of limitations.
A statute setting a time limit on legal action in certain cases.



This is the case whether this arrest warrant is issued against Moqtada al-Sadr or anyone else, as the Iraqi Law of Criminal Procedure does not place a statue of limitations on arrest warrants, but considers all such warrants to be active until they have been applied."

The judicial source, who spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat on the condition of anonymity, also stressed that "No Iraqi government or official has the right to nullify an arrest warrant, or close a murder case, regardless of the name, or names, or number of the defendants”.

The judicial source also revealed that "[Abdul Majid] al-Khoei’s death is considered to be a murder, and as such it is a major criminal case. The case does not have a statue of limitations and no official is entitled to close this, unless authorized to do so by the judiciary. To the best of my knowledge, the Iraqi judiciary has not issued any order to close this case. Even if the victim’s family dropped the charges, and I do not believe al-Khoei’s family would consent to this, there is still a public right [to prosecute], which cannot be waived."

=====

Sadr's Return to Najaf
Hyder al Khoei article in today's Guardian:


"Moqtada al-Sadr has finally returned to Najaf in Iraq after almost four years of self-imposed exile. Senior Sadrists claimed that the reason he left Iraq was to continue his theological studies in Iran. However, there was another thorny issue behind his absence: Sadr is still wanted by the Iraqi judiciary for his alleged involvement in my father's murder eight years ago." [More...]


I also gave an interview to al-Sharq al-Awsat, which was later translated.


The real tragedy is that Moqtada and his men have killed thousands of innocent Iraqis and yet there exists only one arrest warrant with his name on it. There should be an arrest warrant issued to him and his thugs for every single Iraqi whose blood their hands are stained with.

===

عائلة الخوئي تهدد بتفعيل قضية اغتياله دوليا إذا لم يحاسب القضاء الصدر

مصدر قضائي: لا يحق لأي مسؤول إلغاء مذكرة اعتقاله

لندن: «الشرق الأوسط»
هددت عائلة عبد المجيد الخوئي، الأمين العام السابق لمؤسسة الإمام الخوئي الخيرية في لندن، الذي اغتيل على يد أتباع مقتدى الصدر في مدينة النجف في العاشر من أبريل (نيسان) 2003 بتفعيل القضية دوليا إذا لم يتخذ القضاء العراقي إجراءات قانونية بحق الصدر الذي تعتبره «المتهم الأول بقتل الخوئي». وقال حيدر الخوئي، نجل عبد المجيد الخوئي لـ«الشرق الأوسط» في لندن، أمس، إثر التأكد من وصول الصدر إلى مدينة النجف، إن «عائلتنا تثق في القضاء العراقي، وهذا القضاء والحكومة العراقية اليوم أمام اختبار عملي مهم لاتخاذ الإجراءات القضائية وتطبيق القانون لإلقاء القبض على مقتدى الصدر، تنفيذا لمذكرة قضائية صدرت عن قاضي تحقيق النجف في 2004، وبعكس ذلك فإننا سنلجأ إلى الأمم المتحدة، باعتبار أن مؤسسة الإمام الخوئي لها مقعد في الأمم المتحدة كمنظمة غير حكومية، وإلى منظمات حقوق الإنسان والقضاء الأوروبي، كما أننا سنعتمد على قادة دول إسلامية وعربية شقيقة وصديقة لتفعيل القضية».
وتابع الخوئي: «لقد تحققنا من أن أحد قادة التيار الصدري، وهو عضو في البرلمان العراقي، طلب من أحد قضاة التحقيق في بغداد تغيير مجريات القضية اعتمادا على شهود زور لإبعاد التهمة عن زعيم التيار وتثبيتها على عدد من أعضاء التيار المتهمين وذلك من أجل التقرب من الصدر أولا، والفوز في الصراع الداخلي الدائر داخل التيار بين المعممين وغير المعممين، وسوف نكشف اسم عضو البرلمان وقاضي التحقيق وشهود الزور الذين تورطوا في تزييف الملف»، منبها إلى «أننا نحتفظ بالنسخة الأصلية من التحقيق وملف القضية، إضافة إلى تصوير فيديو لحادث مقتل والدي وأن هناك العشرات من شهود العيان الذين تعهدوا بالإدلاء بشهاداتهم أمام القضاء».

ونفى الخوئي أن «يكون نوري المالكي، رئيس الحكومة العراقية، متورطا في عملية تزييف ملف القضية، حيث تأكدنا أن هذا الملف لم يدخل ضمن صفقة تحالف التيار الصدري مع كتلة دولة القانون التي يتزعمها المالكي، لكننا في الوقت ذاته، نطلب من رئيس الكتلة التي تحمل اسم دولة القانون، ورفع شعار تطبيق القانون، بأهمية تطبيقه في قضية مقتل والدي، سواء كان المتهم رجل دين أو زعيم تيار سياسي وله وزارات في الحكومة، فإذا لم يتم تطبيق القانون في هذه القضية فكيف سيحترم المواطن العراقي القانون ويطبقه؟»، مشيرا إلى أن «عائلتنا ستنتظر تطبيق الإجراءات القضائية، ونذكر بأن القضاء نفذ إرادته بحق صدام حسين الذي كان رئيسا للجمهورية، وأن وجود وزراء للصدر في الحكومة لا يمنحه الحق في إغلاق ملف يتعلق بجريمة قتل نجل أشهر مرجع في تاريخ الشيعة في العالم، أبو القاسم الخوئي».

من جهته، أكد مصدر قضائي عراقي بارز أن «مذكرة إلقاء القبض وخاصة في قضية جنائية لا تسقط بالتقادم حتى لو مرت عليها أكثر من مائة عام، سواء كان المعني مقتدى الصدر أو غيره، فقانون المحاكمات الجزائية العراقي المعمول به لا يضع أي سقف زمني لمذكرة إلقاء القبض، بل يعتبرها نافذة حتى يتم تطبيقها». وشدد القاضي، الذي فضل عدم نشر اسمه لأسباب تتعلق بأمن حياته، لـ«الشرق الأوسط» عبر الهاتف من بغداد، أمس، على أنه «ليس من حق أي حكومة عراقية أو أي مسؤول عراقي ومهما كان منصبه إسقاط مذكرة إلقاء القبض أو غلق قضية قتل بغض النظر عن اسم أو أسماء أو عدد المتهمين»، مشيرا إلى أن «قضية مقتل الخوئي تعد جريمة قتل، وهي قضية جنائية كبرى، لن تسقط بتقادم الزمن، ولا يحق لأي مسؤول إسقاطها أو غلقها إلا بقرار من القضاء وعلى حد معرفتي، فإنه لم يصدر عن القضاء العراقي أي قرار بغلق القضية، وحتى لو تنازلت عائلة الضحية، وعلى حد علمي، أن عائلة الخوئي لم تتنازل عن حقها ورغم ذلك، فإن هناك الحق العام الذي لا يمكن التنازل عنه».


===============

Nibras Kazimi wrote a post on his blog shortly after the elections showing the number of Sadrist voters; this should go some way towards explaining the so called "mass popularity" of the Sadrists:

Quote:
Thursday, April 01, 2010

About Those Sadrist Numbers


Sixty-eight candidates from the Iraqi National Alliance made it to parliament, 38 of whom are Sadrist (alternatively called Tayyar Al-Ahrar) candidates. (Two ‘compensation’ seats were also awarded to the INA, but I don’t know who got them.)

That means that Sadrists got 55.8 percent of the seat allocation of the INA. However, an examination of the numbers reveals that the total tally received by Sadrist candidates was only 32.4 percent of the INA total.

By now it is clear to most how the Sadrists did it: they spread out their votes among multiple candidates, propelling them to the top of the INA slate as the number ordering got reshuffled according to the highest vote earners. Then, the candidates highest on the reshuffled list got topped off from the total slate tally until they reached the threshold number of votes in each province, calculated as the total number of voters divided by the number of seats in parliament assigned to each province.

The way the Sadrists did that was to mobilize their ground operation for individual candidates based on locality. For example, they would ask their voters in certain sectors of Sadr City to vote for one candidate, while voters in other sectors would vote for some other Sadrist candidate.

Here’s a summary of how they performed in 11 of Iraq’s 18 provinces (I only considered the provinces were Sadrist candidates were competitive):

Wasit: Sadrist candidates (3) received a total of 44,746 votes out of an INA total of 129,188 (34.6 percent). 3 of the INA’s 4 MPs are Sadrists (11 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 11.8 percent of the overall vote in Wasit.

Diwaniyya (Qadisiyya): Sadrist candidates (3) received a total of 32,755 votes out of an INA total of 133,821 (24.5 percent). 2 of the INA’s 5 MPs are Sadrists (11 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 8.7 percent of the overall vote in Diwaniya.

Nassiriyya (Dhi Qar): Sadrist candidates (4) received a total of 78,994 votes out of an INA total of 244,818 (32.3 percent). 4 of the INA’s 9 MPs are Sadrists (18 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 13.8 percent of the overall vote in Nassiriyya.

Maysan (Amara): Sadrist candidates (3) received a total of 51,511 votes out of an INA total of 135,319 (38 percent). 3 of the INA’s 6 MPs are Sadrists (10 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 18.8 percent of the overall vote in Maysan.

Diyala: Sadrist candidates (2) received a total of 19,046 votes out of an INA total of 85,821 (22.2 percent). 2 of the INA’s 3 MPs are Sadrists (13 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 3.8 percent of the overall vote in Diyala.

Muthana (Samawa): Sadrist candidates (2) received a total of 15,490 votes out of an INA total of 71,699 (21.6 percent). 1 of the INA’s 3 MPs is a Sadrist (7 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 6.7 percent of the overall vote in Muthana.

Karbala: Sadrist candidates (2) received a total of 27,688 votes out of an INA total of 81,794 (33.9 percent). 2 of the INA’s 3 MPs are Sadrists (10 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 8.3 percent of the overall vote in Karbala.

Najaf: Sadrist candidates (3) received a total of 49,736 votes out of an INA total of 152,698 (32.6 percent). 3 of the INA’s 5 MPs are Sadrists (12 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 12 percent of the overall vote in Najaf.

Basra: Sadrist candidates (3) received a total of 65,039 votes out of an INA total of 237,010 (27.4 percent). 3 of the INA’s 7 MPs are Sadrists (24 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 8 percent of the overall vote in Basra.

Baghdad: Sadrist candidates (16) received a total of 221,533 votes out of an INA total of 561,659 (39.4 percent). 12 of the INA’s 17 MPs are Sadrists (68 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 8.7 percent of the overall vote in Baghdad.

Babil (Hilla): Sadrist candidates (4) received a total of 46,633 votes out of an INA total of 180,193 (26 percent). 3 of the INA’s 5 MPs are Sadrists (16 MPs represent this province in parliament). Sadrists received 8 percent of the overall vote in Babil.

The total number of votes received by the 45 candidates that the Sadrists fielded in the provinces above was 653,171 out of an INA total of 2,014,020 (32.4 percent). The total number of votes cast in these provinces was 7,015,008. So the Sadrist percentage of the overall vote in the Shia ‘heartland’ plus Baghdad and Diyala is 9.3 percent.

Those 653,171 votes Sadrists got from all the 11 provinces should be compared to the 622,961 votes Nouri al-Maliki got for himself in Baghdad province; so almost the same number of voters ticked off Maliki’s name in a single province as the number of Sadrist voters from all over. The proportionality doesn't seem quite fair: the Sadrists get 12 seats in Baghdad with 221,533 votes, while Maliki's Baghdad slate has 903,360 votes (four times as many) but only gets 26 seats in the province. That’s something to mull over.

Theoretically, the predominately Shi’a, pseudo-slummy districts of Sadr City, Shu’la, Hurriya, Washash, Baya’, Seydiyya, Ur, Sha’ab, and Husseiniya, where Sadrists claim their ‘stronghold’, should account for over 50 percent of Baghdad’s population. But the Sadrists only pulled off 8.7 percent of the vote in Baghdad.

Same goes for Basra (8 percent). And even Maysan (19 percent), which the Sadrists liked to portray as ‘their’ province.

It seems that some Western journalists (…and some strategists in Tehran) would like to think of the Sadrists as a Hezbollah-like organization, tailor made for Iraq; they seem to view the Sadrists as a dynamic, revolutionary movement that is supported by millions of poor, destitute Shi’as, or so the narrative goes. One even detects the same type of romanticizing of Hezbollah among some analysts and media people writing in English being applied to the Mahdi Army. ‘Armed freedom fighters against America, now savvy politicians’ and that all that noise. It is true that the Sadrists pulled off a neat political trick by turning minority numbers of votes within the INA into a majority seating. But their real appeal among Shi’a Iraqis has also been revealed: the Sadrists are a small minority of the Shi’a population (10 percent isn’t much, so who speaks for the other 90 percent of Shi’as?), and they can’t even claim to represent the Shi’a slums anymore.

I hope more journalists and analysts will pay attention to these numbers before they speak of a Sadrist ‘groundswell’.


posted by Nibras Kazimi نبراس الكاظمي at 6:56 PM

http://talismangate.blogspot.com/201...t-numbers.html
__________________

Saturday, December 25, 2010
Hyder al Khoei

Al-Tayarat al-Sadriya
Here are some quotes from an article by The National on the Mehdi Army criminals recently released from jail because of a deal between Maliki and his former enemies (although of course both Da'wa and the Sadrists deny this).

Sadrist MP Amir al-Kinani:


"These prisoners are not going to go back to military operations, they are going to take their place in peaceful civilian life... They are going to teach religion, not extremism, just peaceful Islam."

Jalal Kahdem, Militant #1:


"I was happy to be in jail for Muqtada... It was part of our battle. We now have an important role in the government. Now we are waging a peaceful resistance against our enemies, not a military war, but I am ready to return to [violent] resistance at any moment if Muqtada asks me to."

Abu Islam, Mitlitant #2:


"I will spend the rest of my life begging forgiveness from God and from the families of the Americans and Iraqis I helped to kill... Muqtada and his leadership have a magic way of influencing the young and naive, people with pure hearts and fragile minds, they misled us."

Abu Sadiq, Militant #3:


"I will always be ready to follow Muqtada's orders, my life is for him and I'm ready to fight the Americans again,"

Interestingly, Kinani says "the violent criminals who pretended to be with the Mahdi Army are still in jail, only the innocent Mahdi Army members who did nothing wrong have been released."


This seems to be part of an ongoing attempt to differentiate between the "criminals" and the "good guys". Last week there was a war of words between the Sadrists and Asa'ib Ahlil Haq led by Khazali.

With Moqtada still in neighbouring Iran, the Sadrists have been trying to restyle themselves as a solely political movement with no interest in armed insurgency anymore. The only problem is they have a bloody past. There is still an arrest warrant that has Moqtada's name on it and not even the Prime Minister can wave a magic wand and make it disappear.


Moqtada's role in my father's murder still haunts him and his close advisors. For now, they are trying to make the distinction between the "criminals" and the "good guys" that may one day be their biggest defence in an Iraqi courtroom. Kais al-Khazali, who was a spokesman for Moqtada when he led my wounded father to Moqtada's office, is now an enemy who has formed a rogue element that has nothing to do with the Sadr Movement.

Some facts about Al-Khoei Foundation

Attached is the letter in which Sayed Al-Khoei disowned Sayed Abbas Al-Khoei. I hope this can put a rest to this topic.

The english translation is for the non-Arabs.



In the name of Allah the most beneficent the most merciful

To our brothers and son the believers in every part of the world

Assalamu alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

We inform you that our son Sayed Abbas Al-Khoei it’s been some time that he has been tricked by Shaytan (la) and has chosen the path that Allah is not pleased with. And we warned him of obeying Shaytan and that at the end he will lose but the warning was useless and he followed the path of Shaytan and disobeying Allah and disobeying his father to the point that I disowned him and Shaytan took control over him and he forgot Allah.

And we were informed recently about some of his statements and letters and publications in his handwriting in which he accused and slandered innocent people who we trust fully. This shocked us and contradicts the manners and religion and is not allowed and I wouldn’t be surprised if in future he commits bigger sins than the ones he has committed till today and I ask for him to be guided to the right path.

And therefore I want to announce my sorrow and great regret for his sins and that I will not be responsible what so ever for his works, actions and sayings and we shall leave it to Allah.

And he should repent from his sins to Allah and ask for forgiveness from those he has accused and slandered before Allah’s anger and wrath captures him when he will be a loser.

At the end i would like to ask my brothers and my sons the believers to inform their brothers of this letter and ask Allah for their success in every good. Salams to all our brothers and believers wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

29 Sha’ban Al Mo’atham 1410
Al-Khoei
------------
Like I said before "the problem is that people can not take the fact that a cleric can also do business and be a businessman. If he is rich then he must be stealing!". I am afraid i cant give details about his business.

Wasnt Muhammad Al Fayed selling lemonade on the streets of Cairo in his childhood and now he owns Harrods, one the biggest and most expensive shops in London. Did he use the mawqoofat of Sayed Al-Khoei too?!

Furthermore Al-Khoei Foundation was supervised by Sayed Al-Khoei himself and now Sayed Al-Sistani as well as its 7 trustees (who were appointed by Sayed Al-Khoei but since then a few changes have been made) who hold up meetings with the general secretary on regular basis. For example if any of the properties of the foundation was to be sold the contract has to be signed by atleast 3 of these trustees. So over all stealing from Al-Khoei Foundation is not as easy as it may sound.

I believe I have said all i should have said on this forum. The rumours have been going on from the time of Sayed Al-Khoei and will go on for ever.

---------
What he had done is between himself and his Lord. He is a mujtahid and hence doesnt follow anyone so the brother quoting Sayed Sistani was irrelevant. Speaking in terms of rulings of Islam, many maraji3 believe that non-Muslims can never own anything of their own. So even if you steal from them you are taking a good which has no owner. However those who say that you can not do fraud or such things is mainly because that if you get cought there is a possibility that a bad image of Islam is reflected in the west. So as i said what he has done is between himself and his Lord but please also note that Sayed Fadhil Al-Milani till this day is the representative of some of our well known maraji3 such as Shaikh Vahid Al-Khorasani and Sayed Al-Sistani. Also Sayed Fadhil Al-Milani was one the first trustees of Al-Khoei Foundation appointed by Sayed Al-Khoei.




I wouldnt deny that he was close to the Shah's regime and hence he was meant to be executed by Shaikh Sadiq Khalkhai (aka hanging judge) but the guy is actually knowledgeable and is in charge of the library at Al-Khoei Foundation. Also during Muharram he holds majalises for mainly the supporters of Shah who you could see only once a year in these majalises. This was even praised by Shaikh Moezzi the representative of Sayed Khamenei.


wallahu a3lam
----------

UK is an Islamic State?! What a joke! If you want further information on this you can probably check the "taqreerat" of the lessons of maraji3 and i am sure you will find something.

I guess then you can even blame the maraji3 for still allowing him to be their representative?! Can't you? So its not only Al-Khoei Foundation but Sayed Sistani, Shaikh Vahid Khorasani and .....

First of all he was not an enemy of Sayed Khomeini and if he wasnt on Khalkhali's execution list i doubt that he would have ever left Iran.

Second of all on the day of judgement I believe Allah will judge you based on your religion not if you were a friend or an enemy of Iran or Sayed Khomeini. Sayed Shariat Madari was an Ayatullah who saved Sayed Khomeini's life at the time of Shah by signing a letter saying he is a mujtahid. But look what happened to him after the revolution? He was abused by the iranian regime, his son had to run away from Iran and the Sayed himself died under house arrest in Qom. Even Sayed Golpayegani probably the most knowledgeable marja3 in Iran at the time wrote a very harsh letter to Sayed Khomeini on the death of Sayed Shariat madari and blamed Sayed Khomeini for his actions and many other things. So you are telling me Sayed Shriat Madari gives a bad image of Islam and will go to hell?!!!

Finally as i said before the Shaikh was even praised and encouraged by Shaikh Moezzi the representative of Iran and Sayed Khamenei in UK.

By Najafi

---------
QUOTE (Ya Aba 3abdillah @ Dec 20 2008, 02:04 PM) *
Shariat Madari made Imam Khomaini a mujtahid because the Shah had issued an execution order against Imam Khomaini which he couldn't reverse. He didn't want to make a Shahid out of Imam Khomaini like what was done to Sayyid Nawab Safawi (qs) so the Shah went to Shariat Madari for help. Shariat Madari said he'll make Imam Khomaini a Mujtahid to work the loophole and save the Shah. You can read more about it here http://www.shiachat.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1695424

Shariat Madari has no right islamicly to make a person a Mujtahid if the person isn't at that level. You can't just dish out ijtihad when ever you feel like it.
Secondly, Shariat Madari wasn't doing it as a favor for Imam Khomeini, he was doing it to save the Shah's backside.

Imam Khomeini didn't need anyone to save his life. To him martyrdom would have been a blessing, his whole life he spoke of it. This business about Shariat Madari saving his life is a load of rubbish.

Are you telling me he didnt want to make a shaheed out of him but he wanted him to do a revolution and kick him out of Iran? Actually he really wanted to kill Sayed Khomeini. Please go and do some research bro. Sayed Khomeini was meant to be executed but the laws of Iran had stated that a mujtahid can never be executed. So the followers of Sayed Khomeini went and started to gather signatures that Sayed Khomeini is a mujtahid. Sayed Golpayegani and Sayed Shariat Madari signed the paper but Ayatullah Khansari who was probably the most knowledgeable and important out of the three refused to sign it. So the signatures of Golpayegani and Shariat Madari saved Sayed Khomeini's life. So according to you Sayed Golpayegani was doing a favour to Shah too!? lool

Please get your facts right next time!

---------
Can you please enlighten us what the problems were?! The period you are talking about was when Sayed M.Taqi Al-Khoei was in charge of Al-Khoei Foundation and there was no problem what so ever.

QUOTE (Abu Hadi @ Dec 20 2008, 10:35 AM) *
The main reason I am leaving the thread open is because I want to give the Al Khoei Foundation some time to make a response.

That is really funny because these accusations have been going on for ages and now you are giving Al-Khoei Foundation a few days to answer these accusations?!

P.S Again, Al-Khoei Foundation stopped collecting khums after the death of Sayed Al-Khoei. Sure they do have the permission to collect it but really who pays?! So thinking that they are still collecting khums and are getting richer second by second is just too funny. If anyone here has ever paid any khums to Al-Khoei Foundation since 1992 i would really appreciate it if they could post their receipts so we know that there are still people who pay khums to Al-Khoei Foundation.

Like I said before these accusations have been going on for ages and will go on for ever and surely this is not the last topic to discuss the accusations against Al-Khoei Foundation. May Allah guide us all and bring the munafiqs and liars to the right path. Today may be Al-Khoei Foundation and Sistani's office (Sayed Jawad Shahrestani), tomorrow will be another marja3. The munafiqs and haters will never sit down quietly doing nothing.



wallahu a3lam


---------
Mashallah 6 pages waste of forum's space.

It is worth to mention that Sayed Abbas Al-Khoei was disowned by his late father Ayatullah Sayed Abulqasim Al-Khoei. This is not the first time such accusations are made by him but they started at the time of Sayed Al-Khoei himself. However it seems to be the first time that the vidoes are put on youtube by wahabbis. Seems some are very interested and would go as far as they can to try to give a bad image of Al-Khoei Foundation and to expose them but its a shame that they didnt bother to do a little research about Sayed Abbas Al-Khoei first. I hope people would have realised by watching the videos that something is not right as there is nobody left who is being accused in that video, taken from Sayed Al-Khoei, his sons, his son-in-laws, Sayed Al-Hakim, Sayed Al-Sistani, Shaikh Al-fayadh, Shaikh Al-Nai'ni, Bahrululoom .... and the list continues with the name of our well known and well respectef ulemas.

Many Accusations have been made here. I didnt even bother to read all 6 pages but to point out a few.

The photo of Sayed Al-Khoei in Imam Khoei Islamic Centre is in the direction of qibla but what hasnt unfortunately been said is that there is a black cover above the photo that covers the photo whenever the prayers are held. Even any normal person can bring down the cover and start praying. Also i wouldnt think one would die to keep his eyes on his turba (as recommended) and pray.

None of the sons of Sayed Al-Khoei or his relatives worked for any parts of the government taken from Iraqi Air Force to any other organisation and department. It is indeed interesting to know that his youngest son and his son in law were taken by the Ba'ath regime during the 1991 intifadha and never returned. Sayed M.Taqi Al-Khoei was also killed in 1994 in a supposedly car accident on his way back from Karbala to Najaf. The assassination was planned and directed by Qusay (Saddam's younger son) personally.

People speak of Al-Khoei Foundation stealing khums. It is to know that till Sayed Al-Khoei was alive all the money was handled and directed by him and after his death people could not give Al-Khoei Foundation any more Khums as Sayed Khoei had passed away. Obviously Al-Khoei Foundation does have permission from other maraji3 such as Sayed Sistani to collect the khums from their followers but when you have two offices of Sayed Sistani in london and more than 5 or 6 individuals who have again permission to collect khums on behalf of the marja3 who do you really think would come and give his khums to Al-Khoei Foundation. It wouldnt be too bad to use our brains.

One of the brothers estimated the number of the students in Al-Sadiq and Al-Zahra to be 250 which is actually 450. It is very interesting to know that the London schools are the only ones that can manage to only pay the salary of the teachers with the money that is given to them by the students. The money of all the bills and the maintenance is paid by Al-Khoei Foundation. Schools in Montreal and New York also have a huge lack of finance every year which is again paid by Al-Khoei Foundation.

Also that the headquarter of Al-Khoei Foundation was never in Najaf and previously was in New York however then the London centre was bought in 1989 and since then the headquarter has been in London. Please note that Sayed Al-Khoei passed away in 1992.

One last thing it is worth to mention is that the son of Sayed Abbas Al-Khoei's own son has been working with Al-Khoei Foundation for more than 15 years. I think the priority for him should be first to guide his own son to the right path and then try to guide the foundation.

All the other accusations will be welcomed with proof.

Just to finish off with some beautiful ayahs from Al-Munafiqoon

[63:2] Under the guise of their apparent faith, they repel the people from the path of GOD. Miserable indeed is what they do.

[63:4] When you see them, you may be impressed by their looks. And when they speak, you may listen to their eloquence. They are like standing logs. They think that every call is intended against them. These are the real enemies; beware of them. GOD condemns them; they have deviated.

[63:11] GOD never delays the appointed time of death for any soul. GOD is fully Cognizant of everything you do.
-----
1. First of all I hope you realise the maraji3 dont act as a bank who save up the khums till the reappearance of the Imam. Obviously the money which was collected over the decades of the marja3eeya of Sayed Al-Khoei was also spent on the Muslims and charity over the decades of the marja3eeya of Sayed Al-Khoei. Of course there was some cash left when Sayed Al-Khoei passed away but as he had stated in his will the money was given to the students of the hawza for a few months after his death untill the money was finished.

Second of all who are you to demand for a receipt?! Are you appointed by the Imam or Allah to investigate such issues?! If Sayed Sistani had said that Al-Khoei family have stolen the money I would understand why you would ask such a question but I wonder on what basis you ask such questions. Has the marja3eeya of the Shias become such a joke that every so called "Shia" gives himself the right to poke his nose in everything?!

2. No it is not true. Mulla Asghar was a representative of Sayed Al-Khoei. Shaikh Mehdi Shamsseddin was appointed by Sayed Sistani to supervise the foundation and so did he and then he passed away. After the 2003 war the general secretary met Sayed Sistani in Najaf and Sayed Sistani insisted that he is supervising the foundation and he will do it directly. Plus Sayed Sistani is much closer to the Al-Khoei family and Al-Khoei Foundation than he is to Mulla Asghar or Shaikh Shamsseddin so why send them and not contact directly?! Which all goes to show the credibility of the romours some are spreading!

3. The project was never completed and has been stopped till today due to lack of finance to finish the project. I am not exactly aware how much was spent but even if i was why exactly do i have to tell you? Are the supreme leader or marja3 a3laa or something?! And i guess from the first line you can figure out that there was no money left to hand over to the marja3.

4. First of all refer to the story of Mohammed Al-Fayed. Second of all how immediately is "immediately". I would be more than happy to send you a calender and help you to count the days. Third of all both Sayed M.Taqi and Sayed Abdul Majid Al-Khoei had started their business since they were in Najaf.

5. What treasure?! Like i said before Al-Khoei Foundation doesnt act like a bank. Just like they recieve money they also spend money so what treasure are you after exactly?!

6. Yes it is absolutely true that he wore the turban on the day that Sayed Abdul Majid Al-Khoei was martyred. However he had studied in hawza while he was in Najaf and many times Sayed Al-Khoei insisted in many different ways and on many different occasions for him to wear the turban, once he even offered him his library, but he didnt want to take such a big responsibility by wearing a turban so refused to wear it. After the martyrdom of Sayed Abdul Majid Al-Khoei due to certain situations many of the ulema of Qom as well as representatives of Sayed Sistani believed that it was his responsibility to wear the turban and take over. So Ayatullah Kokabi one of the students of Sayed Al-Khoei wore him the turban. Furthermore during a few visits he later had to Najaf he asked Sayed Sistani to appoint another person to take over and take away the responsibility from him as the Sayed is the mujtahid and supervisor over the foundation but Sayed Sistani refused to do so and insisted on him taking control.

7. Notice Sayed Al-Khoei in his letter says "he accused and slandered innocent people who we trust fully ..... I wouldn’t be surprised if in future he commits bigger sins than the ones he has committed till today". Also notice what bro Al-Mufeed said and if you still wish to rely on such a person by all means do so and I am not saying if he is lying or saying the truth but i encourage both you and him to bring evidence for your claims.

8. No it is not true but even if it was then so what?! Were the uncles of the prophet not kafirs? What does that prove? Was not the son of prophet Nooh a kafir?! Does that mean there was something wrong with prophet Nooh or there was corruption? Wasnt the wife of Imam Saidq a kafir and killed the Imam?! Does that mean the Imam wasnt actually an Imam or there was corruption?!

9. Who are you to judge if they have democracy or not?! And just for the sake of it lets say they dont, how does that concern you?! Again are you appointed by our Imam? Dont we have a marja3eeya who is more capable than some fresh minded so called Shias to take care of such matters?!

10. Yes there is no corruption. You believe other wise please bring your proof and we shall discuss. Or even better take your proof to Sayed Sistani and let him deal with the foundation as it is appropiate.

11. What is wrong with being an OBE?! Is it haram or something?! I knew people could be narrow minded but not to this level! Like i have said before he has been in charge of the public relations department of Al-Khoei Foundation for more than 15 years and alhamdulillah he has managed to achieve alot for the Shia community in UK which has made things much easier for us to live in this country. If it wasnt for many of his works the government wouldnt even have recognised Shias as part of the Muslims and would have let Sunnis to decide on our behalf too. But its a shame some dont deserve any of this!



wallahu a3lam




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QUOTE (Najafi. @ Dec 20 2008, 06:43 AM) *
I guess then you can even blame the maraji3 for still allowing him to be their representative?! Can't you? So its not only Al-Khoei Foundation but Sayed Sistani, Shaikh Vahid Khorasani and .....


Salaam Alykum,

Why not post the ijaza of wakalat from these Maraji'? It is interesting to note that this claim that Sayyid Milani is the representative of Ayatollah Sistani and Ayatollah Waheed Khorasani has always been asserted by the members of the Al Khui Foundation. I have never found any proof of this from Sayyid Milani himself nor he himself has ever claimed this in any gathering or events.

Another interesting point to note here is that according to Najafi it is all good and well that what Sayyid Milani does is between him and God because of his level as a mujtahid but when another mujtahid does something which is questionable then he is dragged through mud. It is like the pot calling the kettle black.

Regarding the "taqreerat" issue raised, if a person according to you is the representative of Ayatollah Sistani then one has to question how aloof is he of the rulings of the maraji he is the representative of? Does Ayatollah Sistani not indicate that the laws of the country in which one resides be obeyed? And this ruling is not just exclusive to Ayatollah Sistani but many other maraji' too.

Karbala110

-------
So it is Al-Khoei Foundation who says Sayed Milani is a representative of Sayed Sistani and Shaikh Khorasani and the Sayed has never claimed such a thing?! Well have a look at his own website:
"is currently authorised on behalf of Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Sistani" http://www.almilani.com/eng/doc/bio.htm
Also regarding Shaikh Vahid Khorasani, when I asked him if there are any representatives of the Shaikh in London, he said he represents the Shaikh. If you have any further questions please contact Sayed Milani and see what he says.

May His almighty forgive you for the accusations and providing false information. And like the brother above get your facts right next time!

What Sayed Milani has done doesnt affect us directly but another so called mujtahid trying to play with Shia beliefs does affect us so obviously i wouldnt sit down quietly and let them ruin our religion.

Yes Sayed Sistani does state so but i hope you already know the fact that once you become a mujtahid you stop following others and act according to yourself and your own decisions. So your point is invalid!

It was mentioned in a visit to Al-Khoei Foundation during Muharram about two years ago. Feel free to contact Shaikh Moezzi for the sake "credibility".



wallahu a3lam



-----

Well they are not all like each other. Just like the example you gave yourself you could have a father who is a prophet and a son who goes against his father. His son is head of the public relations of Al-Khoei Foundation and as a matter of fact he has achieved so much for the Shia community and has raised the Shia's voices to the government.

You seem to have misunderstood me. I never said it is wajib to guide your son but I said his son should be the priority to the foundation, other family members and other families.

Sayed Abbas was disowned by Sayed Abulqasim Al-Khoei himself. The draft was first written by Sayed Murtadha Al-Nakshawani and after a few changes made by Sayed Al-Khoei the letter was published and distributed. The letter has the signature and the stamp of Sayed Al-Khoei and further more to avoid any excuses made in the future Sayed Al-Khoei even approved the letter in the court of Najaf.

Regarding Qawari i personally think he is exaggerating. When he is not the representative of Sayed Al-Khoei what does he expect the office of Al-Khoei to say? That he is the representative?!

By Najafi
-----
Actually this majlis was done after the Muharram majalises. Among the ones who were present it was Bassim, Najafis (Mawkeb Al Najaf Al Ashraf), Karbalaeis (Hussainiya Al Rassool Al Adham), Kurds (Mawkeb Akrad Al Fayleeya) as well as some other ulemas and radoods such as Muhammed Al Qal3awi and of course the members of Al-Khoei Foundation who were the host.

It was lunch actually. It was cooked in the kitchen of Imam Khoei Islamic Centre so dont worry it wasnt broght from a 5 star hotel so i doubt it would have costed much and i guess the expenses are categorised as the costs of the Centre.

I wouldnt deny that he was close to the Shah's regime and hence he was meant to be executed by Shaikh Sadiq Khalkhai (aka hanging judge) but the guy is actually knowledgeable and is in charge of the library at Al-Khoei Foundation. Also during Muharram he holds majalises for mainly the supporters of Shah who you could see only once a year in these majalises. This was even praised by Shaikh Moezzi the representative of Sayed Khamenei.

The house costed much less than a million and was bought more than a year before the murder of Sayed Abdul Majid but he actually moved in a few months after the murder of Sayed Abdul Majid. As Imam Ali says "the difference between truth (haq) and false (batil) is only four fingers. Hinting about what you see and what you hear.

-------

If I am not mistaken this figure was given by Hayder Al-Khoei his son and he says the money came from his personal wealth not from Al-Khoei Foundation or CIA or .....

He was diowned because of the same accusations he used to make then at the time of Sayed Al-Khoei. Sayed Al-Khoei tried to guide him directly and through other family members but unfortunately he did not succeed so he disowned Sayed Abbas to show that whatever is said by Sayed Abbas has nothing to do with Sayed Al-Khoei as many people had already started complaining to Sayed Al-Khoei. Well I am not too sure what he gains from this or maybe he doesnt gain anything but there are others who gain alot. For example as you can see these videos have been uploaded on youtube by wahabbis.

Or for example the people who have made these videos are the followers of Muqtada Al-Sadr so obviously when Sayed Abbas says he likes Muqtada and calls him brave while the rest of the members of the Khoei family all balme Muqtada for the death of Sayed Abdul Majid, surely someone is going to benefit from these videos.

Unfortunately this is not the first time that Al-Manar has tried to attack Sayed Al-Khoei and his office directly or indirectly. To be honest i am not well aware of the story but all it seems to me is that a group of people asked if Qawari is Sayed Al-Khoei's representative so in reply Al-Khoei's office said he is not with the knowledge of Sayed Al-Khoei about this or not the fact that he still wasnt the representative of Al-Khoei stays the same therefore the right answer was given. And by all means i really dont think the answer from Al-Khoei's office was to ruin Qawari's reputation or something but it was simply to answer the question. If they wanted to ruin his reputation they could easily issue a letter like the ones that Sayed Al-Khoei issued for Sayed Muhammed Al-Shirazi and Hassan Al-Saffar.

Again i am not too sure but i wouldnt be surprised if he had. The hawza of Najaf before Saddam had always tried to keep good relations with the government just incase they would need them one day. For example i know once Sayed Al-Khoei sent a delegation to Baghdad to negotiate some issues with the government or Baghdad used to send delegations to Najaf to meet Sayed Mohsen Al-Hakim (father of Sayed Baqir and Sayed Abdul Aziz) and other teachers at the hawza.

What he had done is between himself and his Lord. He is a mujtahid and hence doesnt follow anyone so the brother quoting Sayed Sistani was irrelevant. Speaking in terms of rulings of Islam, many maraji3 believe that non-Muslims can never own anything of their own. So even if you steal from them you are taking a good which has no owner. However those who say that you can not do fraud or such things is mainly because that if you get cought there is a possibility that a bad image of Islam is reflected in the west. So as i said what he has done is between himself and his Lord but please also note that Sayed Fadhil Al-Milani till this day is the representative of some of our well known maraji3 such as Shaikh Vahid Al-Khorasani and Sayed Al-Sistani. Also Sayed Fadhil Al-Milani was one the first trustees of Al-Khoei Foundation appointed by Sayed Al-Khoei.

I have no clue why Hayder has stated that on his blog but maybe you can ask him and probably ask for the name of the person too.

----------

Replaced by you and your clan who work with the label of Ummah but fill their own pockets. Is it not surprising that even in this thread you have labelled Abbas Khui as a liar and made him out to be disowned without ever refuting his statements? Why do you not try to refute his claims? Remember the man was in the set up and left because of this corruption. If you wish to really post something then do address and refute his statements. There is no point in posting conjecture and going off topic.

Karbala110
------

By Shia Hegemony

bassim.ammar@harvard.edu

I pray this message finds you well.

Would you be so good as to answer these questions; it would be much appreciated. Thanks.

1. Did the Khoei family hand over the sum value of the Muslim treasury that was collected over the decades of the Marjayeh of Syed Al-Khoei to the next Marja? If so, can you provide some transparency as to the amount and a receipt from the Office of the Marja who received this money?

2. Is it true that Syed Sistani sent people (like Shaykh Shamseddine and Mulla Asgher) to resolve the issue of the Muslim treasury but to no avail?

3. What happened to the money invested in the Educational Charitable Complex in Bombay. The project that was never completed. How much was invested? Did the representative of Syed Al-Khoei in India, Syed Mohammed Al-Musawi have authorisation to deal in these finances and did he return them to the living Marja?

4. You say that clerics can do business. This statement is made to lead us to believe that the Khoei family is wealthy through business. You refuse to detail what these businesses are and where the money came from. Logic would dictate having $700,000 at hand for expenses whilst travelling to Iraq is a very extravagant sum. I'm sure you would understand if many people become suspicious that a family of a materially 'poor' marja arrive to the shores of the UK, and immediately live in luxury homes, drive luxury cars and have the financial power to withdraw $700,000. The question is, are you really trying to tell us that the Khoei family became abundantly rich through private businesses with absolutely no relation to the Khoei Foundation or the fact that their father was in charge of the Muslim Treasury?

5. If the above is true and the financial power of the Khoei family is purely through their own private businesses, one begs the question where is the Muslim treasury? The Khoei Foundation has a Treasurer, can he not show us where this money went? Why is there no transparency on this issue?

6. Is it true that your esteemed father was not a cleric wearing a turban the day before Abdul Majeed Al-Khoei was killed? Is it true that he became a cleric in order to take over as secretary general of the Khoei Foundation which constitutionally only allows the eldest cleric of the Khoei family to hold this position?

7. You have provided a statement from Syed Abdul Qasim Al-Khoei suggesting he has disowned his son Abbas Al-Khoei. This, however, does not mean that everything he says is false. He may very well be telling the truth on numerous points. Do you think he is lying about every allegation he has made?

8. Does Syed Abdul Qasim Al-Khoei have a Christian brother?

9. Why does Khoei Foundation not have any democracy when it is a proponent of such when it comes to spreading Western democracy in the East?

10. Do you believe there is absolutely no corruption taking place in the Khoei Foundation?

11. A further point to add is that Yousef Al-Khoei, son of Abbas Al-Khoei, was on the Queen's honour list and was given an OBE (Order of the British Empire). This is a British order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by King George V. The Order is given to those in the civil and military divisions.

Perhaps, when Abbas Al-Khoei says the following:

- There are Ulama who don't pay attention to their children and as a result, their children become corrupt.
... He is referring to himself?

Thank you for your time.

[Note from Mod: Post edited - Personal information about other members has been removed.]


-------------

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Allahuma Salee Alaa Muhammad Wa Aalee Muhammad Wa Ajil Farajahum

May Allah assist me in this endeavour to elevate the word of La Illaha Illa Allah Muhammad Rasul-Allah and to eliminate the wings of the Shaytan which reaps through this downtrodden society.

Rabbi-'shrah li sadri wa yassirli amri wa-hlul 'uqdatan min lisani yafqahu qawli.
"O My Lord! expand my breast for me. And ease my task for me; and loose a knot from my tongue, (That) they may understand my saying. (20:25-2)

This post is a follow up on the claim made by Abbas Al-Khoei, the eldest son of Ayatollah Al-Khoei ra.gif, about collaboration with Western powers including the United States and Britain.

Below are pictures providing valuable information on the relationship between Al-Khoei Foundation and the Imperialist government, that has plundered Muslim society for hundreds of years.

Reduced: 40% of original size [ 1280 x 960 ] - Click to view full image


Picture from the British Parliament's Eid Reception 2008. In the Picture: Abbas Muhajarani, known for being the Mullah of the Shah; speaking to William Hague, former leader of the British Conservative Party. Alongside him is Salah Bilal, known for being Lebanon's taxman due to taking extravagant sums from newly weds to sign documents that are handed to the Jafari Office in Beirut. Also in the picture is Abdul Saheb Al-Khoei, Secretary General of the foundation, and who took office after Abdul Majid was killed, whereby he put on a turban to allow him to constitutionally take office.

Reduced: 40% of original size [ 1280 x 960 ] - Click to view full image


Picture from the British Parliament's Eid Reception 2008. In the picure are a group of women invited by the Khoei Foundation to dine with the Sultans of power. The politician in the middle remains unidentifiable to myself but this picture demonstrates our humiliating state such that taking pictures with any 'white politian' is important to us in order to show our level of integration.

Reduced: 84% of original size [ 604 x 402 ] - Click to view full image


Picture from Tony Blair's visit to the Khoei Foundation 2008. In the Picture: Tony Blair, Ali Mashkour, Yousef Al-Khoei, Ahsan Abbas, Amir Abbas and Ali Hilmi can be identified.

Perhaps, when Abbas Al-Khoei says the following:

- There are Ulama who don't pay attention to their children and as a result, their children become corrupt.

... He is referring to himself?

O Shia of Ali, this is taking place in YOUR name. This foundation dines with the oppressors of our age in the name of Shia Islam and in the name of Sayyed Al-Khoei and the Marjayyiah.

As promised in an earlier post, more evidence of the corruption in the Khoei Office and Foundation is being presented to you. This time it is a short clip taken from Dar Al-Manar's production 'Shahid Al-Iraq'. Please see the video and the transcript translated into English below it.


http://youtube.com/watch?v=CIf9OD8UA28

QUOTE
The activities of Shahid Sader were not destined for newfound success under the Marjayyeh of Syed Al-Khoei, as some of those working in the aparatus of Syed Al-Khoei worked against what was previously agreed on and hence taking the marjayyeh of Syed Al-Khoei in a another direction, different to that of Syed Mohsin Al-Hakeem before him.

One of the outcomes of this change that upset Shahid Sader was a statement from the office of Syed Al-Khoei against Syed Al-Gharawi who was close to him and who was assigned as a representative to the marjayyeh in one of the Iraqi towns in association with Syed Al-Khoei. His representative status was stripped away from him with the following simple statement: 'Syed Mohamed Al-Gharawi is not our representative'. This took place due to a claim from some of Al-Khoei's associates accusing Syed Al-Gharawi of collecting Islamic finances in the name of Al-Khoei and giving it to Shahid Al-Sader instead.

Syed Mohamed Ghawari:
I sat nearby Syed Al-Khoei and I asked him 'Syedna, the person who goes for tabligh in the month of Ramadan, should he be given praise or hostility?' Syed Al-Khoei replied 'No, he should be given praise.' So I responded, 'When I went, why did you say that Syed Mohamed is not trustworthy and of good character?' The Syed replied 'I did not say that'. I said, 'That is right but people did not study logic to understand this, it is accustom that when you say Sayed Mohamed is not our representative, it means he is a person of corruption, a liar and so on.' Syed Khoei [May Allah be pleased with him] became sad and said 'By your Grandmother Al-Zahra, it did not come from me.' When Syed Al-Khoei said this I became sad too, our teacher, an elderly man, a marja, I may have upset him, why did I bring this up. In addition to this Syed Al-Khoei was known to be someone who would tell stories and jokes, he started telling me stories trying to make me laugh so that I may let go of this hurt. I then kissed his hand and left.

On the 23 December 1971, the Ba'athis warned more than 1000 Iranian families living in Iraq to migrate to Iran. This issue placed the hawza in a state of tension and chaos. It is said that the apparatus of Syed Al-Khoei encouraged the foreign students to migrate and leave Iraq, and began giving them money for this purpose.

After the Iraq regime announced its plans to exile Iranian students, Imam Khomeini gave a speech at the Masjid Al-Ansari bidding farewell to those present, who were around 2000 in number, announcing his plans to leave for Lebanon. Imam Khomeini also issued a message to Ahmad Hassan Al-Bakr wanring him not to continue with his policy of exiling.

To make this statement false, the Iraqi authorities issued the following question to Syed Al-Khoei on the 25 December 1971:
To the Highest Religious Authority, Al-Syed Abdul Qassim Al-Khoei,

Sallamu Alaykum Warehmat Allah Waberakatuh,
Have you witnessed from the Baath Government in Iraq what opposed religion or humanity in regards to your respected self or to the Hawza of knowledge or to the Iranians. There are some who say that the government is treating them badly. Provide us a fatwa, and may you be rewarded.

Reply from Syed Khoei Office:

In His Name the High
Greetings
As for myself, I have not witnessed from the esteemed government except that which is good. As for the Hawza of knowledge and the Iranians, I have heard from some trustworthy people that the government treats them well.

Allah is the Master of success.

Wasallamu Alaykum Warahmet Allah.

(Sealed and dated)


After examing the above video footage, there are 2 important points to underline.

1. Syed Al-Khoei swears by Al-Zahra as.gif that the statements being made are not from him.
2. Syed Al-Khoei's Office had official correspondences with the Baath regime in which the Marjayyeh is seen as supportive of the Baath.

We need to ask the question, if the Syed himself is stating that there are occurrences taking place not in his name, would it not be possible that these people using his name are forming alliance with the Baathi regime? And if that is so, does this fall in line with Abbas Al-Khoei's statements that his brother Taqi was an informant for Saddam?

Beware O followers of Ali, for we are in dangerous times.

I seek forgiveness and refuge from Allah. All praise be to Him.


Wassalamu Alaykum Warahmetullah


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Sallamu Alaykum Warahmetullah Wabarekatuh.

It is evident of reading 5 pages of discussion, that some of you are suspicious as to the intentions behind the initial post and have raised valid questions. It is also evident that some of you have taken the points mentioned with a level of seriousness which is appreciated.

There are some points to mention:

1. This is a very serious matter that requires the maturity of all because it entails very sensitive details concerning real people and real institutions.

2. This matter is not personal nor is it subjected in the interest of a particular organisation against another. If the daylight robbery taking place was being undertaken in the name of commercial trade, wholesale industry, secular politics, or anything else; there would not be this reaction. The problem is this corruption goes on in the name of Shia Islam, and it is our duty to say enough is enough.

3. Please note that the imposters within our community who work for the interest of others are not restricted to the Khoei Foundation and family. There are other culprits who in time must also face scrutiny for operating in the name of us all without consent.

4. Data available to the public through the Charity Commission is only that which is declared in the name of the organisation. There is no public data on the assets of the Secretary General (Abdul Saheb Al-Khoei), Director (Yousef Al-Khoei), Treasurer (Mohsin Khalkhali), Imam (Fadel Milani), Religious Affairs Officer (Salah Bilal) and the assets that other family members have including Jawad Al-Khoei (son of Taqi Al-Khoei) and Hayder Al-Khoei (son of Majid Al-Khoei). Sadly, these different assets are not linked to the Khoei Foundation directly and given transparency through the Charity Commission in UK.

5. It is apparent that not everyone is convinced that there is corruption taking place even though overwhelming evidence was presenting through the words of the eldest son of Syed Abdul Qassim Al-Khoei. These people will require more evidence, and with the permission of Allah, more will be coming. However, we must take this matter with utmost seriousness and deal with it wisely. This is the real test for us all. Once evidence is brought forward, we must investigate it, and when we conclude there is corruption, we must decide whether we will make a difference in the face of this corruption or sit back and allow it to continue.

6. There are some who unwittingly try to derail efforts to purify the Shia institution by mentioning the Islamic revolution and government in a bad light. O sons of Ali, O daughters of Zahra, do not allow the enemy to divide us. Do not allow the enemy to polarise us into camps. Do not allow the enemy to distract us from the real problems. The enemy has always tried to divide us, in order for us to battle between ourselves, such that we will remain in our sleep, while our financial power is usurped from under our nose.

Beware O followers of Ali, for we are in dangerous times.

I seek forgiveness and refuge from Allah. All praise be to Him.

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Rabbi-'shrah li sadri wa yassirli amri wa-hlul 'uqdatan min lisani yafqahu qawli.
"O My Lord! expand my breast for me. And ease my task for me; and loose a knot from my tongue, (That) they may understand my saying. (20:25-2)

The expansion of the Crusader in the hearts and minds of the Muslim cannot be undertaken without zealots who act as pawns for the interest of the Great Satan. It is sad that we witness the enemies closing in on the Shia community by working from within. They have infiltrated our instituions and centres of influence, and from there, they have made a podium that works for the interest of the West.

It is high time, we realise this danger and openly work towards erradicated the sellouts from our community. We must first reveal the sources of this danger.

Enclosed with this message is footage of Abbas Al-Khoei, eldest son of Sayyed Abdul Qassim Al-Khoei, and father of Yousef Al-Khoei [Director of Khoei Foundation in London] revealing some truths about the operations of the Office and Foundation of Sayyed Abdul Qassim Al-Khoei.

Part 1: http://youtube.com/watch?v=-UQLu0WKtjs
Part 2: http://youtube.com/watch?v=veMAIvWFCJk
Part 3: http://youtube.com/watch?v=mLke22iDBzo
Part 4: http://youtube.com/watch?v=NT6q67m5v0I
Part 5: http://youtube.com/watch?v=FukzbCpwP84
Part 6: http://youtube.com/watch?v=4MPQ-PplMAM
Part 7: http://youtube.com/watch?v=EF0zJ8HJwGQ

For the non-Arab viewer, below are some highlights from the thoughts of Abbas Al-Khoei:

- There is a lot of corruption in the Shia institutes.
- There are incapable people in positions not suitable for themselves.
- Anyone can wear a turbans and as such it can be worn by corrupt people.
- The British made sure the Shia institutions remain in their slumber. They installed puppet scholars and made them important.
- The important Ulama were sidelined, and the unsuitable people were made into Maraja. This took place from 1917 until the 1940's [During the reign of the British backed Kingdom].
- There are brothers of Maraja who couldn't stand this corruption and later became Christians [i.e Sayyed Abdul Qassim Al-Khoei's brother in Beirut].
- There are Ulama who don't pay attention to their children and as a result, their children become corrupt.
- There are many sons of Haram who wear turbans.
- Our family history is very bad because our father dedicated his time to one science and many things were hidden from him. When they brought Sayyed Abul Qassim to the Marja'iyyah, they used his name for their corruption.
- During this time, money was stolen and false fatwas were issued, and they worked with the corrupt rulers. They made ties with the Americans in the name of the Marja.
- Corruption took place in the home of my father and until today some of his sons remain corrupt.
- Anyone who discusses this matter is labelled insane. They say I am against my parents and mad.
- If someone became corrupt, called himself a Marja and worked with Saddam, with the Shah, the Americans and the British; we cannot remain quiet.
- I like Muqtada Sadr, although I have never met him, because he is a person of action, bravery, sacrifice. So many wanted me to make a stance against him, but I refused.
- If my brother, son or cousin is corrupt, I must say so, even if they call me insane as a result.
- Anyone who speaks the truth in those days was called a Ba'thi, nationalist, communist and the Ba'this then came along and killed him.
- Many people were at war with my father, because they didn't want to see him reform the problems. Of those people is the father of [previous] Imam of Khoei Foundation in London, Sayyed Ali Khalkhali, and his sons, who used to say Sayyed Al-Khoei was not a Sayyed.
- Mohsin Khalkhali, who was previously against my father, is currently the treasurer of the Khoei Foundation and they say he is worth $70 million. He went to Iran and was arrested in the airport on charges of fruad, he then paid $1 million to someone of influence who helped in his release.
- Sayyed Taqi Al-Khoei was an informant to Saddam and was the person who appointed Sayyed Sistani to the Marjaiyyah.
- Sayyed Jamal Khoei was friends with a cleric called Bulbuli who was a Ba'thi who cried for Saddam and famously used to chant 'There is no God but Allah, Khomeini is the Enemy of Allah.'
- Some of the associates of the office of Sayyed Al-Khoei are today millionaires from the money they stole.
- Saddam killed my brother Sayyed Taqi Khoei because Taqi became too close to the British and Saddam didn't want others becoming close to the Western powers.
- When my father was going to the operation theatre, he said only 45,000 dinars are for the heridatry. But when he died, many houses and money was lost to different people in the family and extended family.

This is just a short sample of the many things said by Abbas Khoei in these videos. In the case that we assume he is not telling the truth, is it wise to assume everything said is untrue?


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In the UK, for example in 1992 following the demise of Ayatollah Sayed Abul Qasim al-Khoei certain very serious allegations were made against Sayed Taqi and Syed Majid al-Khoei. The family and foundation were accused of withholding the will of the marja and keeping the hundreds of millions of khums that had been collected by the marja. For years the shia communities were not told of the will’s details or what happened to the monies. However a number of years passed and some of the monies were returned with the rest remaining still unaccounted.
Allegations were rife and claims ranged upto 1 billion dollars of khums money had been ‘stolen’. The following allegations were made:
• At the death of al-Khoei the sons’ transferred their HQ from Najaf to London;
• The khoei foundation purposefully held back the will and therefore his instructions were not actioned in relation to the transfer of khums;
• 750 million dollars were taken;
• 100 million dollars were confiscated by the Saudi government due to deposits in Saudi banks;
• That much of the money was used to invest in large tea plantations; in Asia, Africa possibly Congo;
• It was alleged that they were a major investor in sky tv and supermarkets.

Despite these allegations there is lack of sufficient physical evidence as regards what companies they used and how they managed to invest funds and which investment funds they still have.

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Dr. Sachedina who was condemned by Ayatullah Sistani and Golpaygani (ha). Even Sachedina went to Syed Sistani (ha) for forgiveness yet he did not receive it. Why are these representatives of Ayatullah Sistani (ha) with this man also?

Attached Image
A meeting of Paul Wolfowitz, US Deputy Secretary of Defense with:

Shaikh Fadhel Sahlani (Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center – New York)
Dr. Hasnain Walji (Then President of World Federation of Shia Ithna-Asheri Muslim Communities)
Dr. Abdulaziz Sachedina
Sayyed Zaki Swaij . . .
http://www.annabaa.org/nbanews/24/052.htm