Iraq elders perceive conspiracy behind Najaf standoff

By: Ismail Zabeeh

HOLY CITY OF NAJAF, Iraq: Iraq’s religious and tribal elders and followers of Ayatullah Ali As-Sistani warned of a foreign plot to implant chaos in this holy city, home to the holy shrine of holy Prophet Muhammad (p)’s son-in-law and cousin Al-Imam Ali (p) as well as burial place of Prophets Adam and Noah (p), by aggravating the standoff between radicals and US forces.

According to reports Monday, an important meeting of Najaf's tribal elders convened by Ayatullah Sistani follower cleric Sadreddin Al-Kubbanji, repeated earlier calls for the Moqtada As-Sadr’s Mehdi army militia to leave the holy city.

Speaking to the meeting, Kubbanji called for a demonstration on Friday to protest “chaos, lies and occupation” and warned of a “treacherous plot being hatched in the name of fighting the US-led occupation.”

In a veiled criticism of Sadr, which has taken over the area around the city's holiest shrine, Kubbanji said “outside elements” encouraged the riot in order to drag the Americans into the heart of the sensitive holiest city.

“The occupation was far away from Najaf and the city was calm, but when they (Sadr's militia) hit them with stones they were forced to come here,” said Kubbanji. He praised the “good intentions” of Sadr's men, who have come from Baghdad and other cities to “defend Najaf.”

“A policeman is killed with the excuse that he is an agent of the occupation; Governing Council members are attacked for being so-called traitors and the religious authority is cursed for keeping quiet,” he said. As he spoke his audience cheered in support of the Najaf-based religious authority. “We follow our religious authority and our learned ones,” they chanted.

Ayatullah Sistani has called for a peaceful resolution to the Sadr crisis and the respect of Najaf's sanctity. US civil administrator for Iraq Paul Bremer has called on Najaf's religious authority to pressure Sadr to call off his month-old uprising.

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