Iraq's Sistani Begins Journey to Najaf-Witnesses

[jayfish]

Iraq's Sistani Begins Journey to Najaf-Witnesses


A Reuters witness in the southern city of Basra said Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani left just after 7:30 a.m. (2330 EDT) in a convoy of vehicles under heavy police protection. The trip will take several hours.


Lets all hope he arrives safely.

Jay

[amandabeech]

1. I suspect that Al Sistani is still not feeling very well.

He had heart surgery in London about 2 weeks ago. My guess is that he had a 2, 3 or 4 bypass operation because both his local cardiologist and a British military doc said he'd drop dead in a week if he didn't. I suspect that the doctors in London were not too keen on releasing him from the hospital to this kind of a situation.

If he starts to fail during this trip, there had better be an EMS unit with a cardiologist in the convoy and a medi-vac helicopter following a discrete distance behind to get him into the best hospital available if something were to go wrong.

If Sistani were to die during this pilgrimage, it will be blamed on the Americans, Allawi and the British no matter what the problem, and increased fighting will ensue. Al Sistani may not be far from martyrdom, and I hope that the dimwits in charge over there know what that would mean.

[IndianaGreen]

2. Sistani's caravan may be prevented from entering Najaf, or worse

Why did the former Saddam goons that we have in the Iraqi National Guard force all the newspeople out of a Najaf hotel at gun point? Why don't they want any witnesses?

I fear that Sistani is about to meet the same fate as Ninoy Aquino.

[amandabeech]

4. Found the thread--absolutely terrifying.

ARe you sure that these goons are of the former Saddam variety? If so, Sunni or Shia? I cannot imagine that even a moderately religious Shia would severely damage the Najaf shrine.

Or do these folks follow another mullah/ayatollah in opposition to Sadr or Sistani? Sistani, I believe is Persian, and that, I have read, is a problem for some Iraqis, including Iraqi Arab Shia as well as Sunnis.

Obviously, no matter what faction the goons represent, they want no witnesses. And neither do our troops, I suspect.

This is all not good.

[tedzbear]

7. Sistani had an angioplasty to open a clogged artery.

That is not the same as open heart surgery. An angioplasty is a tiny tube they insert in the leg and send up to the heart where a camera can see what arteries are blocked and then open them up with stents. Actually, if all goes well, a person will feel much, much better almost immediately after an angioplasty because their heart will now be getting full circulation.

This may explain why he is back from London. He feels better just like he is supposed to.

Of course, he should still take it easy and not over do it.

[minkyboodle]

3. Juan Cole has written about this in his blog tonight as well

http://www.juancole.com
A very good analysis of the situation as it stands now. I hope to god that no one fires on the marchers or even worse harm befalls Sistani as it would cause a bad situation to explode into an all out nightmare (I guess you could say it was already, but you get my drift).

[IndianaGreen]

5. This is an excellent analysis by Cole, thank you

The stakes here are enormous. If Iraqi police fire on the peaceful demonstrators again, or if US troops refuse to make way for Sistani, there could be a big social explosion in Iraq. If Sistani is successful in his plan, on the other hand, it will further increase his authority in the Shiite South and perhaps even transform him into a nationalist hero.

All this is important because Sistani is insisting on the January elections being held on time. If they are postponed he will almost certainly send his followers into the streets to protest, and could well bring down Allawi.

I suspect the Iraqi National Guard is mostly made up of Sunis. Having Sunis force their way into the Imam Ali mosque is as bad as having Americans do it.

[tedzbear]

8. I've read that the Iraqi forces at Najaf are Kurds!

Which makes for an even more explosive mix.

[amandabeech]

6. Yes, thank you minkyboodle and IndianaGreen.

The Juan Cole peace explains the situation clearly.

And thank you for the information on the faction to which the goons belong.

I hope and pray that there is some reasonable approximation of an election in January, and that Kerry withdraws our forces immediately thereafter so that the Iraqis can sort this mess out for themselves.

If the various factions cannot work something out and a general civil war ensues, possibly with multiple factions, the U.N. and other Islamic states may find it easier politically to go in and provide relief once we have withdrawn.

[RummyTheDummy]

9. Am I alone in thinking this will end in a massive bloodbath?

NT

[Aidoneus]

10. Of course it will

it began in one, has steadily coasted along in one for weeks, logic dictates it will remain one as others jump on stage. The occupyers and collaborating agents have worked into a steady trend of blasting away at anything that moves for weeks. Unarmed people densely packed in groups just makes the 'aiming' matter less of an issue and likely will bring a higher bullet-to-wound ratio, which improves profit returns for the military's suppliers and helps the economy. Of course, the next day when they're lifted into the air and tossed into the Saudi desert, then it will seem like it was a bad idea.. but hindsight is 20/20, and there is just no time for that now.

The plot twist from another article:
The marchers chanted slogans in support of al-Sadr and carried pictures of the cleric as well as pictures of Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini al-Sistani, the country's top Shiite leader.

That apparent lack of fitna between the two camps being the case, of course a bloodbath is on the way. These two movements coming together is the death of the occupyers and collaborating agents if the fire is given the spark it needs.

[leftchick]

11. Update from Al-J: US attacks Najaf as UK escorts al-Sistani

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FBFA29F3-179B-436A-9CBB-37BFD56E31A5.htm


<snip>
Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani, protected by the occupation military, is heading to Najaf to broker an end to the fighting there as US troops continue their fierce attacks on the city.

US tank and helicopter fire pounded the area around the shrine in Najaf on Thursday.

Continuing through the morning, after a battery of overnight attacks, US armoured vehicles took up position in Rassul street, which leads to the southern entrance of the Imam Ali mausoleum.


A dozen bullet holes were visible in the golden dome of the shrine and some of its golden tiles had come loose, said an AFP correspondent, one of three reporters inside the shrine.

[DoYouEverWonder]

12. al-Sistani is being protected by the occupation military

Grand Ayat Allah Ali al-Sistani, protected by the occupation military, is heading to Najaf to broker an end to the fighting there as US troops continue their fierce attacks on the city.

<snip>

Meanwhile, al-Sistani's convoy, swollen by thousands of faithful and accompanied by dozens of police and national guard patrol vehicles, was moving at no more than 20 km an hour on the 400 km journey north from Basra.

Two British occupation military helicopters hovered above al-Sistani's motorcade as it crawled along.

Speaking to Aljazeera, al-Sistani spokesman Hamid al-Khafaf said the cleric had called on those heading for Najaf to wait at the gates and not enter the city until the spiritual leader arrived.

They should wait for further instructions from al-Sistani's office, al-Khafaf said, adding that it was necessary to abide by the cleric's guidance.


http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FBFA29F3-179B-436A-9CBB-37BFD56E31A5.htm

[DoYouEverWonder]

13. Found a few more pictures

He has returned to Iraq after heart surgery in the UK, and is hoping to negotiate with radical cleric Moqtada Sadr to end the stand-off with US forces.




Mr Sistani's image adorns minibuses heading from Baghdad to Najaf, as the ayatollah's supporters heed his call to meet in the holy city.

[Disturbed]

14. Kurds

Aren't the Kurds Shi'ites?

[davhill]

17. Kurds are Sunni

But they are against all Arabs, Sunni or Shiite

[allemand]

15. CNN just reported that Sistani has arrived in Najaf n/t

[allemand]

16. Around 10,000 join al Sistani's march on Najaf

M - Thursday, 26 August , 2004  18:10:00
Reporter: Alison Caldwell

MARK COLVIN: To Iraq where the Shi'ite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani is on his way back to the holy city of Najaf, with around ten thousand followers joining his convoy from Basra in Iraq's south.

Sistani has called for Shi'ites all over Iraq to march on Najaf so these may be the first of a much larger throng. The Grand Ayatollah is expected to lead them in attempting to take back control of the sacred Imam Ali Shrine.

More:
http://www.abc.net.au/pm/content/2004/s1185985.htm

[spooked]

18. BREAKING NEWS: Al-Sistani has reached Najaf

http://english.aljazeera.net/HomePage

[DoYouEverWonder]

19. If the US destroys this sacred place

All hell is going to break loose in Iraq.

[0007]

20. I hope numbers alone will wake the U.S. up and have 'em back off of

this attack.

Bring the troops home NOW. We are not wanted in Iraq, why can't we take the hint?