[lit-ideas] from the Iraqd Blog in TNR
- From: Scribe1865@xxxxxxx
- To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 9 Apr 2004 01:15:42 EDT
4.07.04 http://www.tnr.com/blog/iraqd?pid=1539
IRAQ'd by Spencer Ackerman
SADR V. SISTANI?: In public, Moqtada Al Sadr swears fealty to Grand Ayatollah
Ali Al Sistani. "I proclaim my solidarity with Ali Sistani, and he should
know that I am his military wing in Iraq and wherever he so desires," Sadr
declared yesterday. Attempting to co-opt Sistani, who's issued calls for quiet,
is a
smart strategy: As grand ayatollah, Sistani commands vastly more allegiance
from Shia Iraqis than the 30-year old Orson Welles look-alike. But now it's
looking more like Sadr is trying to push Sistani out of the center of Shia
politics. Late Monday night, Sadr's forces took control of the Imam Ali Shrine
in
the holy city of Najaf, stationing Kalashnikov-wielding thugs around one of the
most important places in Shia Islam. The Los Angeles Times reporter in Najaf
observed that "the move appeared calculated to heighten [Sadr's] profile among
Shiites" in a city where Sistani is dominant.
For a year, Sadr has attempted to muscle in on Sistani's territory in Najaf
and its sister city, Karbala, without success. As Hamza Hendawi reported on
January 30 for the Associated Press:
Supporters of al-Sistani and al-Sadr clashed late last year in the holy city
of Karbala, leaving up to 10 dead. The two groups also have had a long-running
tussle over which of the two should hold the prestigious job of leading
Friday prayers at Najaf's Imam Ali shrine.
Al-Sadr's supporters also laid siege to al-Sistani's home at Najaf in April,
demanding that he leave the country. Tribesmen loyal to the older cleric
forced them to abandon the siege.
By moving into the Imam Ali Shrine, Sadr appears to be trying to settle the
"long-running tussle" with Sistani on his terms. Already his men are starting
to disrespect the grand ayatollah. "The issue now is bigger than one that can
be solved by a statement from Sistani," the Times quotes Sadr's deputy, Sheikh
Quais Al Khazaali, as saying in response to Sistani's (tepid) plea for calm.
Sistani is the most important figure in Iraqi Shiism, but that position isn't
immutable. As Juan Cole observed to the Los Angeles Times in February,
"Shiism has a strong populist component, so [Sistani] could face a stampede to
other
[religious] figures if he loses the street." Sadr's apparent push into Najaf
therefore poses a challenge to Sistani: Even if Sadr is "martyred" by the
United States, Shia Iraqis may subsequently ask why their grand ayatollah
didn't
challenge the U.S. as forcefully. Then there's the fact that Sistani and Sadr
are charting two separate courses for the Shia. In addition to the political
differences between the two men--Sistani's patient challenges to the occupation
versus Sadr's violence--their theological differences are irreconcilable: Sadr
and Sistani espouse opposing interpretations of the role of the Islamic
clergy in governance, with Sadr pushing Iranian-style "guardianship of the
jurisprudent" (vilayat-i faqih) and Sistani rejecting it. Sistani is said to be
singularly focused on ensuring that the Shia don't repeat the mistakes of 1920,
when
a violent and futile revolt against the British occupation paved the way to
Sunni domination and Shia subjugation. Sadr appears to be leading the Shia down
precisely this path.
Sistani might have an opening to make a stand. Already it looks as if Sadr
has engendered some bitterness in Najaf, according to the Los Angeles Times:
Sadr supporters established an armed presence at police stations and
hospitals and set up checkpoints at the entrance to the city. One police
officer, who
asked not to be identified, said Sadr's men "controlled all police stations,
and they took our arms and our vehicles. They told the police to come to work,
and some of us were given Sadr badges to put on."
"We are resentful Najaf was one of the most peaceful cities, but now it is
living under chaos," he said. ...
Some Najaf residents expressed disgust at Sadr's battle with the U.S. "We can
hardly believe that we finally got rid of Saddam after 35 years and could
start a new life, and now with this new crisis of Moqtada, everything that we
have tried to build is collapsing," said Abu Mustapha, an agricultural engineer.
What will Sistani do?
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