Al-Hakim Blames Coalition for Holding Shiite Commandos Back
informedcomment/Al-Hayat[Ar.]: Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Shiite Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq [SCIRI] and head of the dominant United Iraqi Alliance in parliament, blamed Coalition forces (including, implicitly, the US) and "local political forces" [i.e. the Sunni Arabs] for the "dirty sectarian crimes" that mostly target Shiite Muslims.
His outburst was prompted by a bombing on Thursday that killed some 60 Shiite devotees near the sacred shrine of Imam Husain [the martyred grandson of the Prophet Muhammad] and left a similar number wounded.
For Shiite Muslims, Karbala is like Golgotha where Christ was crucified for Christians. It is the site of a cosmic, redemptive act of sacrifice by a holy figure, the Imam Husain, scion of the Prophet. They mourn Husain's unjust death ritually for several days each year, especially the 10th of Muharram, called Ashura. Most weep, some strike themselves, and some even cut or whip themselves in grief. The makers of the Islamic Revolution in Iran put forward the slogan, "Every land is Karbala, and every day is Ashura." Emotions run high about Husain and Karbala, including a sense of the truth being persecuted. Just as European Christian mobs sometimes targeted Jews, blaming them for Christ's death, Shiites often blame the Sunni Muslims. Neither sort of blame is rooted in real history (Sunnism in its present form did not yet exist in 681 A.D.) or is justified. But the Karbala bombing was designed by Sunni guerrillas to provoke reprisals against Sunnis, so as to throw Iraq into civil war, force the US out, and allow them to come to power in a coup.
In Ramadi, an equal-opportunity terrorist waded into a crowd of potential police recruits and detonated a belt bomb, killing 50 and wounding 60 local Sunni Arabs.
Guerrillas also set off three car bombs in Baghdad, amid other operations. Altogether they killed 7 GIs.
Al-Hakim said: "We hold responsible Coalition forces, and political elements that have openly announced their support for terrorism, for the pure blood that has flowed." Read more
His outburst was prompted by a bombing on Thursday that killed some 60 Shiite devotees near the sacred shrine of Imam Husain [the martyred grandson of the Prophet Muhammad] and left a similar number wounded.
For Shiite Muslims, Karbala is like Golgotha where Christ was crucified for Christians. It is the site of a cosmic, redemptive act of sacrifice by a holy figure, the Imam Husain, scion of the Prophet. They mourn Husain's unjust death ritually for several days each year, especially the 10th of Muharram, called Ashura. Most weep, some strike themselves, and some even cut or whip themselves in grief. The makers of the Islamic Revolution in Iran put forward the slogan, "Every land is Karbala, and every day is Ashura." Emotions run high about Husain and Karbala, including a sense of the truth being persecuted. Just as European Christian mobs sometimes targeted Jews, blaming them for Christ's death, Shiites often blame the Sunni Muslims. Neither sort of blame is rooted in real history (Sunnism in its present form did not yet exist in 681 A.D.) or is justified. But the Karbala bombing was designed by Sunni guerrillas to provoke reprisals against Sunnis, so as to throw Iraq into civil war, force the US out, and allow them to come to power in a coup.
In Ramadi, an equal-opportunity terrorist waded into a crowd of potential police recruits and detonated a belt bomb, killing 50 and wounding 60 local Sunni Arabs.
Guerrillas also set off three car bombs in Baghdad, amid other operations. Altogether they killed 7 GIs.
Al-Hakim said: "We hold responsible Coalition forces, and political elements that have openly announced their support for terrorism, for the pure blood that has flowed." Read more
posted by exoplanet at 9:05 PM
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