Little Green Footballs

Saturday, August 06, 2005

Sistani Hopes Islam Basis for Law in Iraq

Troubling news for the 'minions' over at LGF from the Middle East's newest 'democracy'.

NAJAF, Iraq - The Iraqi prime minister said Friday that the country's leading Shiite Muslim cleric hopes the constitution being drawn up will enshrine Islam as the main source of legislation — something opposed by Kurds and some Iraqi women activists.

A younger radical Shiite cleric, meanwhile, urged Iraqis to participate in the constitutional process but added that he personally would not vote in elections planned for year's end because of the presence of foreign troops.

Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari commented on the constitution after spending nearly two hours with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the most influential cleric in the Shiite Muslim community, which makes up 60 percent of Iraq's population.

The two were believed to have talked about recent developments ahead of Sunday's meeting of political leaders from Iraq's various communities to try to resolve differences over the charter.

The proposed constitution is supposed to be presented to the National Assembly by Aug. 15 so legislators can debate its final wording. A referendum on the charter would be held by mid-October, and approval would lead to national elections by mid-December.

Al-Jaafari later met with radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, who has toned down his opposition to the U.S.-led coalition since his supporters staged a failed uprising last year, and Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, one of four Shiite grand ayatollahs but who does not have a high profile politically.

After that meeting, al-Jaafari was asked whether al-Sistani wants Islam to be the main source of legislation or one of the sources.

"Ayatollah al-Sistani does not want to impose dictation on drafting the constitution, but according to my knowledge he hopes that Islam become the main source of legislation," al-Jaafari replied.

7 comments:

dawud al-gharib said...

wow, naivete runs in cultural circles - and runs circles around points like law, Iraq, Iran, history without quite touching on them - since this isn't an academic blog, for indepth discussion of topics with no simple black-and-white 'fatwa', let's say the following, slowly & clearly:

Iraq, Mesopotamia, or 'the land between the two rivers' (Tigris & Euphrates' is the ancestral home of several civilizations & dynasties: first the home of Nimrod [as he's known in the west, who built ziggurats, argued with Abraham, 'the father of faith', peace be upon him]; also of Nebechudnezzar, who not only destroyed the first temple but brought the Jews into captivity, where the Talmud was written;
Hammurabi, who encoded the first known written doctrines of law;
Cyrus the Great, the Persian leader who released the Jews from captivity and allowed them back to their ancestral homes, being titled 'Christ' (meaning 'annointed') for his efforts;
during Christianity's rise, it was the seat of the Byzantines;
and after Islam, it was the home of the Ummayads, Abbasids, Seljuk, Ottoman, as well as other powers, dynasties, rebel factions, and ideological groups.

Do you mind clarifying which Iraq you mean when you're talking about 'freedom and democracy': oh, and could you kindly discuss what a 'democratic state' means, since you don't seem sincerely to understand either Islam or this 'democracy' business...

dawud al-gharib said...

that, and I left out the modern period, which has several governments imposed on Iraq from outside; memorably for Americans is the rise of the Ba'ath party in 195?, and the CIA support for Saddam to come to power in 1968, and his beginning of a 'beautiful friendship' (for the both of them, while it lasted) [sigh]

not so beautiful for Iraq, need it be said... but don't ask the Iraqis, that would be democracy and believing that people have a right to self-determination and sovereignty, ideas that America gives verbal support to but finds is sometimes inhibiting to it's own interests, it would seem...

[sigh] and God knows best

Pablo said...

Troubling news for the 'minions' over at LGF from the Middle East's newest 'democracy'.

How odd is it that you frame the ahappenings in Iraq in terms of how the people who frequent LGF might feel about them? You'd think that would be the very least of anyone's worries.

Funny that you're calibrated that way. Sick, but funny.

So, read more. Read this.

Pablo said...

So, Arab governments are and have been the reponsibility of the western world, and we fucked it up, therefore we're responsible for everything in Arab society.

Arab Nation is merely a bystander and a victim.

Is that it?

dawud al-gharib said...

who said we were speaking on behalf of the 'arab nation' - we mentioned Iraq, which is one state created by the British out of the ashes of the break-up of the Ottoman Empire. It's borders were not arrived at by 'free and open discussion of those involved', or investigation of the lands of the tribes there, but by an Englishwoman (Gertrude Bell) going out into the desert and making some drawings which she submitted to the foreign office.

As to what happens when you massively bomb a civilian population, err, hasn't Colin Powell invoked the 'Pottery Barn' ("You break it, you bought it") rule as regards Iraq? Take responsibility.

I'm neither Iraqi, nor (ethnically, though I am linguistically and culturally) Arab musta'arab- so I don't speak on behalf of the 'arab nation'

what else has spewed from your foul mind today?

Pablo said...

dawud, some people are goverened by whatever is thrust upon them, or whatever seizes them.

Some people are not. Some people exert their power and take control of their own destiny.

Tell me, what Arab country would you say has done this? What Arab population has installed itself as a government of the people?

America once had the hand of Great Britain controlling it's governance. We did something about it. Now, Great Britian is our very best friend. We're family, but there's no question as to who the Superpower is. We rose up and we built. Good, hardworking immigrants came and dreamt and built.

What's your problem...aside from that you're in Saudi in Toronto? What are you doing to establish fair, representative governance in your homeland? Why is it my fault that you don't run your own country? Why are you in Canada, complaining about what the evil west has done to your poor victim of a filthy rich country?

What have you done to improve anything?

Whassup, dawud? What?

dawud al-gharib said...

pablo, if you were speaking about the civilian population of wartime Germany & Japan - that they know better about massive bombing than me... yes, that's true. I only watch it on tv, whereas Allied bombing runs made it quite clear that civilians were the target for bombs - have you seen Errol Morris's 'the fog of war'?

as for what America & it's coalition allies did in Iraq, as well as the responsibility of the other nations that armed and supported Saddam - inexcusable, just as the 'jihadi' lunatics killing civilians are cold-blooded murderers.

but if you think that America has it's hands clean, do you want me to post Pentagon documents that show that massive civilian suffering and death was precisely the desired result of the coalition bombings in 1991-2003? or reports from soldiers in Iraq today, who blithely talk about shooting up 'hajjis' or, like you, like 'hitting ragheads'?

you will know about the results of your words, and there will be a day for you to answer for them.