Clerics tell Sadr not to disband his Mehdi Army
We told you that Sadr probably already knew what the religious leaders would say before he publicly asked for guidance about his militia. Maliki is weakened and Sadr gets stronger.
Iraq's top Shiite religious leaders have told anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr not to disband his Mehdi Army, an al-Sadr spokesman said Monday amid fresh fighting in the militia's Baghdad strongholds. Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki demanded Sunday that the cleric disband his militia, which waged two uprisings against U.S. troops in 2004, or see his supporters barred from public office.
In addition, nine Iraqis were killed and 65 were wounded in clashes that lasted into Monday morning in Sadr City, an Iraqi Interior Ministry official said. U.S. troops and armor backed up Iraqi troops in Sadr City on Sunday as they fought to shut down rocket and mortar fire that targeted U.S. bases and the International Zone, the heavily fortified Baghdad district that houses Iraqi government offices and the U.S. Embassy.
The U.S. military blames the attacks on "criminal elements" violating al-Sadr's March 30 order to his followers to halt their attacks on government forces. The attacks have gone up sharply since al-Maliki's government launched its operation in Basra.
What the heck are "criminal elements?"
"criminal elements"? Short answer is Iraqis apparently.
This is progress? We have brought misery and death to the Iraqis. Now women and young girls are being forced to abandon all of their freedoms while these clerics crack down. What have we done? Iraqi women under Sadaam at least we educated and had many more freedoms than their Saudi conterparts. What a disaster.
The "Criminal Elements" ??? wow...what about the Ones in the White House....do they count as part of the problem?
the criminal elements? that would be bush and cheney.
they are playing and paying both sides in this civil war.
if you want to make a big profit from war, you always
supply both sides and that is what bush/cheney are doing.
What the heck are “criminal elements?”
AKA suspected militants, suspected insurgents, women, children, old men.
To paraphrase from one of the Vietnam era flicks,
"If it's running, it's a suspected insurgent. If it's running away, it's Al Qaeda.
Been reading The Terror Presidency. They didn't feel that law enforcement tactics would work on terrorists, so they resorted to military tactics. What alarms me is the question, will we think it acceptable to use military to stop everyday criminals eventually? it doesn't sound so crazy after remembering Blackwater wanted to setup a base in California.
It's the same as the Russians in Afghanistan, they want to keep us there so we go broke.And it's working.
RBK @ 6:
bush has already re-written the constitution so he can do just that.
blackwater was given another contract for a yr......let's see
the elections are coming up and bush must maintain the
reichwingneocon's fascist hold on the govt.
You're right Mudshark, We stay in Iraq for years and are economical security is going to bite the dust.
P.D. @ 9:
you both are right. the war just lost us our future security, healthcare and economica
stability. and guess who will march off with big profits when their administration
finally ends?..........that would be most in the bushco.
The scourge is working!
US politicians with the help of the flunky media hacks continue to demonize Al-Sadr and call him an America hater - he is not - he is an occupier hater; big difference! Sadr has said since the invasion: "Let the occupiers leave so that democracy can begin in Iraq." Sadr is against a puppet regime installed by the western powers. Duh!
I never thought the American public could be so easily deceived. I never thought the media was so fully owned by the corporate powers that be. I never thought the Congress would sit by and see Treason occur in this country!!
Orangutan. @ 13:
Communism was a failed experiment. It seems Capitalism isn't so different after all.
Criminal elements seems a trifle weak as propaganda goes. It sounds like purse snatchers and pick pockets.
"criminal elements?" Obviously the horribly triumvirate of pedophiles, crack dealers, and mattress-tag-pullers who defy the will of the Iraqi people!
Orangutan. @ 13:
i hope you did not just have this epiphany>
Greed is what is destoying the country. It turns out our Morgage crisis is going to affect the globe. Billions and billions are expected lost. Way to go endless consumption!
That's because they want to U.S. the fuck out of their country.
I think this headline is overstated. I seriously doubt that Sistani or any other senior cleric told Sadr NOT to disband. I think they don't want any part of the Mehdi Army in favor of or against. No one really asked their permission. Sadr just said he'd disband if he was asked to by senior clerics (knowing they don't want any involvement at all in these affairs). Then when the media tracked the clerics down and asked if they would issue an order to disband they probably just distanced themselves from the issue. It's not their militia to disband.
I think this is all about keeping Iraq from turning into a theocratic society,Like Iran. Even if the majority of the populace doesn't want them.
al-Usa will not only bring freedom to the oppressed citizenry of their Iraq Colony,
they will also bring separation of church and state, Baskin-Robbins, deep fried Oreos
and an obesity epidemic.
Allen McDonald, El Galloviejo®
listener's mother @ 20:
Actually in the article it says that one of Sadr's associates went and physically spoke with the cleric. And the cleric told them not to disband.
P.D. @ 18:
Hellz yes. I have been giving this idea thought over the past couple months and it's nice to see someone sharing my sentiment.
Not even the physical aspect of consumption, but the idea of the new American Dream that has been bored into our subconscious.
Thanks for posting that.
Seems like these are Mizaru, Kikazaru and Iwazaru, but only in reverse. See evil, hear evil, and speak evil. If these three end up shaping the future of America, I'll pass.
Anybody seen that Airforce advert on TV, with the 'byline of seeking out terrorists hiding amongst civilians' with a lovely UAV Raptor flying over houses, shops and people.
So reminiscent of Terminator and the Skynet war machine.
mudshark @ 21:
Yeah, it would be extremely crappy if Iraq became stuck in a theocracy; it'd be an all around catastrophe.
However, I don't think that is the Iraqi goal, neither the Sadr or Maliki camp (although it is somewhat disconcerting that Maliki turned to the cleric as a parent; a "Make it stop, Dad!" kind of thing). It also seems like the clerics have been trying to stay somewhat distant in the political picture, the more insidious possibility of that fact being that they are staying away for their own safety, not taking a side until the fighting has died down.
That doesn't look the case though.
I forgot to address the "criminal element" part.
I think what they were trying to refer to were the members of Sadr's militia that defied his order to stay off the streets.
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 22:
Juan Cole notes that it's a little more complicated than that. Sadr referred the matter of disbandment to the clerics who then refused to take action one way or the other.
Of more importance is the fact that while the US media made loud noises about Sadr's 'request', it is a course of action Sadr has taken before. It is a gesture towards his supporters showing that Sadr considers himself a servant to clerical authority. The MSM got played yet again.
mudshark @ 7:
Yes, and remember the Russians had a quick victory invading Afghanistan. The trouble is staying. Maybe we should pay protection money to the warlords like we are now doing in Iraq? They seem to think it's a great idea. I'm sure the Chinese will loan us even more money for 10 years. What happens when we stop paying them?
Ash"Hussy"Williams @ 23:
Actually in the article it says that one of Sadr’s associates went and physically spoke with the cleric. And the cleric told them not to disband.
-----
I don't know what kind of window dressing Sadr's aides may have put on this, or how it may have been reported, but my point is that Sistani and senior clerics don't want anything to do with the ins and outs of the Mehdi Army. I have spent a lot of time in Najaf (the political center) and have had contact with both Sistani's people and with the Mehdi Army. There are ties between them but it's not a chain of command. Sistani was (in 2004) more actively engaged with Sadr but has largely pulled out and tried to create a role for the Hawza which is above the politics of the street. I don't think Sistani and the senior clerics want to bear the burden of responsibility for the turmoil caused by Sadr's militia any more than they want to bear responsibility for the turmoil that would be caused by the disbanding of Sadr's militia. That's my $0.02.
ElHombre @ 29:
Yes, El Hombre. I agree with Cole on this. The press reports on this offer to disband this militia as if it were a real offer. Western press mostly don't see it for what it is - a symbolic ritual that helps Sadr to project himself to the masses as of a piece with the religious leadership.
This matters. The future leaders of Iraq will emerge from the group that can initially survive within the masses of Iraqi's and later who controls them. I believe that Iraq has just taken one of the initial steps at a return to Iraqi centric Shia governance in the person of Muqqtada Al Sadr, as at this point only the clerics and assassins can stop him. Perhaps that is why he has been staying in Iran.
What the heck are “criminal elements?”
U S Military, G W Bush, U S Congress, or ALL of the above ??
I took a break from concentrating on the demonsrtations surrounding the running of the Olympic torch to see what else is going on in the world. I was really struck when I read "The U.S. military blames the attacks on “criminal elements” Gee, the Chinese government has been blaming “criminal elements” for disrupting the torch run. Sure is a lot of crime these days.
WTF, the Iraqis want us out, the majority of Americans wants us out, though never reported I strongly suspect most of the planet would treat/view the US better if we were to get out, so why do we stay? A couple of petulant bastards who will throw a hissy fit if we make a real effort to leave? What is that versus the costs of not doing anything (thousands more dead, more treasure and goodwill flushed)?
A year after the surge and it is widely reported that we are not a year closer to the end of this horrific waste (aka a wasted year).
I say We the People send all the members of Bushco for a visit to the Hague next year, let them explain why they have done what they have done, since those who have "led" us here are so very confident in their reasoning and evidence used to start this disaster. They should not fear justice if they feel their actions were justifiable.
Having said that, do you all honestly think that anything will change following the election? Democrats, especially the leadership, have proven themselves cowardly as an opposition party, useless in their role of congressional oversight, and gutless defenders of our precious constitution. This is not the country I grew up in, only the name remains the same, though I feel that renaming it the Corporate States of America would probably be more appropriate.
What the heck are “criminal elements?”
Rogue neutrinos.
What's with this meme "......anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr ..." that seems to be a rigorously required phrase whenever Al-Sadr's name is mentioned in any reporting? what he is, in fact, is "Anti-America-the-Foreign-Occupying-Colonizer Muqtada al-Sadr ". There's a world of differnce. He also "Anti-Iran-as-Proxy-Shadow Government al-Sadr". He's also "Anti-Foreign-Corporation-as-de facto-Ruler al-Sadr". He's also against a lot of things that the US professes to also be against and for a lot of things that the US professes to stand for. In fact, of all the various factions, he seems to be acting to achieve the things that we are only professing. But since he is against the oil companies colonizing Iraq and using the US military to serve as their corporate enforcers, I guess that means he'll probably have to die. It's an unforgivable sin to resist Halibiurton;/Exxon-Mobile and ilk or to stand against the colonization and looting of his country.
Some people just have to learn the hard way, I guess.
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