Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric begins issuing fatwas against U.S.-led forces.
Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric begins issuing fatwas against U.S.-led forces.
AP reports on a troubling development in Iraq:
Iraq’s most influential Shiite cleric has been quietly issuing religious edicts declaring that armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible — a potentially significant shift by a key supporter of the Washington-backed government in Baghdad.
The edicts, or fatwas, by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani suggest he seeks to sharpen his long-held opposition to American troops and counter the populist appeal of his main rivals, firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.
So far, American officials have considered Sistani a “key stabilizing force in Iraq for refusing to support a full-scale Shiite uprising against U.S.-led forces or Sunnis — especially at the height of sectarian bloodletting after an important Shiite shrine was bombed in 2006.”
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Counter surge.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:41 pmI wonder how much we are going to have to pay this guy. We can’t educate our returning Vets, but we can keep paying these guys extortion money. Surge is apt, as in surge of our tax dollars to Iraq.
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:51 pmWOW!
Is a fatwa a WMD? Old WTF Bush is just wetting his pants!
“The Eye-O-Tollah launched a fatwa, a big fatwa! Iran has a Eye-O-tollah with three fatwas in his oasis. Bomb Iran!”
Fox News Headline: “Bush Bombs Iran. Fire in the Oasis. Heat was in tents.”
May 22nd, 2008 at 8:58 pmIt’s Crips vs. Bloods, Iraqi-style, and we’re stuck in the middle.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:02 pmThis is not good folks…I think Sistani was sorta the referee or backstop in this brewing civil war. If he has pulled out of limiting attacks on our soldiers, this could get very messy, very fast.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:09 pmThis is just more proof that the surge is working.
Now go back to watching American Idol.
Big Brother is Watching.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:13 pm>I wonder how much we are going to have to pay this guy
I predict this guy can’t be bought like we’ve been buying everyone else off in order to create the illusion of military success. For this guy its all about the almighty Allah not the almighty dollah. Sistani is watching his power wane because the popular opinion in Iraq is that Americans should leave, and his competitor al-Sadr is gaining massive support because he’s the only signifigant Iraqi figure standing up to the AMericans and telling them to go CHeney themselves. Note, trolls, I am not “supporting” al Sadr by saying this, I am merely making a reality based observation, something you may be unfamiliar with.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:14 pmI think its hilarious that even though elections in Iraq are soon going to revolve around slogans like “vote for me, i hate americans and everything they stand for”, somehow idiots like bush and our resident trolls STILL think giving freedumb to these guys was a good idea and would serve our interests.
As its standing now, I see Iraq splitting into about 4 parts in the next 5-10 years, assuming mcain hasnt cheated his way into office and started the apocalypse before then.
> It’s Crips vs. Bloods, Iraqi-style,
> and we’re stuck in the middle.
Dig up Saddam, put him on a stick, and lets re-enact “weekend at Bernies” iraqi dictator style. He can have a photo-op hunting with Cheney and Cheney can shoot him in the face afterward. It will be great fun and hopefully scare these pesky shias demanding we actually like, let them make their own decisions and stuff…
Its funny because i’ll bet we’d love to be able to off Al-Sadr just like Saddam offed his dad. You know, it REALLY says something about the idiocy of what we’ve done that even the people who had thier relatives killed by Saddam dont want us there…
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:18 pmI predict this guy can’t be bought like we’ve been buying everyone else off in order to create the illusion of military success.
Sistani is absolutely all about Allah…He can’t use money, although I am sure we will try. He’ll probably talk us out of a few billion, then let us get attacked anyway. He knows enough to play us for suckers. Way to go W!
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:19 pmAnd the bath water just gets bloodier.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:30 pmI think it’s safe to say that all the sane people on Earth want us out of Iraq. A great many insane people as well. But King George is committed to staying so that “history” will say he’s not as “wimpy” as his Dad. The only questions left are: “how many generations will it take to repair the damage these psychopaths have done”? and “is it even possible to EVER undo the damage”?
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:39 pmLife could burn off the face of the Earth, but George W. Bush might feel like a man.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 pmZooster, he used to call Gannon every time he felt like a man!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:12 pmKeith,
I thought Gannon was Rove’s special boy? ;)
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:15 pmYou probably got better info.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 pmIf the US makes even a small strike on Iran, the Shias might be unleashed.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:20 pmNot better info, just a really icky feeling. :P
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:21 pmOh yeah, I hated your “santorum” link. I was snacking at the time!
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 pmHeh. Sorry about that. I thought everyone had seen that one by now. ;)
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:28 pmFatwa ..humm…is that like a $15-a-gallon-of-gas-wa? In the reality based community (the majority of the American people) this is real bad news…In chimpy’s world just another $1 billion payoff..
IF Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani can’t be bought with dubya’s china-dollars, then he’s got a real problem..then it’s maybe $20-a-gallon-of-gas-wa!!! AND McLame’s 100 (or is that 1000 year) war!!! Except EVERYWHERE IN THE MIDDLE-EAST…
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:29 pmOh Crap, the fatwah just hit the fan!
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:03 pmAnd what does Betrayus say about this? All is good in adventureland.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:43 pmI hope this doesn’t delay the completion of Iraq Disneyland.
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:53 pmBetrayus just needs to hold on until September when he gets PROMOTED and becomes BIG GUY at Cencom . . . THEN the Shiite can hit the fan and he can claim that HIS great leadership WAS working . . . Bush can attack Iran for supplying arms, McSame can claim we need military experience, World economy collapses, China and Russia say FU and takes out One Rouge Nation Under Bush . . .
May 22nd, 2008 at 11:59 pmIs this called winning their hearts and minds?
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:49 amHoly Shiite, Batman, I think we’re really s(rewed this time!
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:29 amWill Minnie have to wear a Burkha?
I can just see some of the new rides:
Whatsamatter Horn?
Thundermountain minefield.
Honey I shrunk the Dollar.
Pirates of the Persian Gulf.
Blackwater Adventureland.
It’s a Small WMD.
The Haunted House of Congress.
Sparse Mountain
New Orleans underwater Square
Dumbo, however, will remain unchanged, as it is still an elephant going up and down and around in circles never getting anywhere.
May 23rd, 2008 at 1:51 amDamn! What choice do we have this year? An old man, a crazy woman and Curious George. WE ARE SCREWED!
May 23rd, 2008 at 2:05 amrayhab1 Says:
SPAMMER ALERT!
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:19 amAnother example of our tax dollars at work. :(
http://news.yahoo.com/ s/ ap/ 20080523/ ap_on_go_ca_st_pe/ us_iraq_contractors
Just more of what most of us here already know.
May 23rd, 2008 at 6:41 amHow many times does our government have to F up to learn that it never makes sense to pay extortion money to your future enemies?
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:14 amNo matter. Any bets that this WH and Patraeus will still be telling us that we are making progress in Iraq? Better yet, they will use this development to not decrease troop levels in the coming months. Sorry, my bad. THIS IS AN ELECTION YEAR! The reductions will start this October.
Briseadh na Faire Says:
Exit Stage Left Says:
I hope this doesn’t delay the completion of Iraq Disneyland
Frankly, I think the Iraqi Disneyland and the Embassy are redundant. Iraqis have enough fun firing mortars to it.
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:29 amBetter luck next time!
May 23rd, 2008 at 7:30 amThe influence of al-Sistani has been in steady decline since the start of the occupation. This may in fact be too little, too late for al-Sistani as al-Sadr has stepped into that leadership vacuum. If al-Sistani and al-Sadr are speaking with one voice, however, that would be significant. Too bad Gen. Petraeus wasn’t questioned on this in the Senate yesterday as it certainly could have a negative impact any troop withdrawal schedule.
May 23rd, 2008 at 12:47 pmNot good, Sistani has waaaaaaay more influence than Satr could ever think about.
I thought the guy was dead honestly, haven’t heard a lot from him.
Sistani calle for a “protest” about 6 months after Bush’s invasion and hundreds of thousands filled the streets.
Thx Bush, you hate this country
May 23rd, 2008 at 4:39 pmSistani’s office has strongly denied these reports, in case anyone’s interested in updating this story…[reports Iraq Slogger]
May 25th, 2008 at 3:17 am