...In a statement issued Monday after a meeting with radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the clerics and members of the country’s religious authority also cautioned the coalition against doing battle in the holy city of Najaf -- and warned against any attempt to kill al-Sadr.
"The current crisis in Iraq has risen to a level that is beyond any political groups, including the Governing Council, and it is now an issue that is between the religious authority and the coalition forces," the statement said. "Those who have brought on this crisis must pay for what they have done."
I agree. So what should be done about Sadr? Arrest him? Or kill him?
Participating in the meeting was the son of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the recognized leader of the country’s majority Shia Muslims; Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayadh, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Sayid al-Hakim, Grand Ayatollah Bashir Hussein al-Najafi, Mohammed Sayid Redha al-Sistani and Sayid Ali al-Sibzwari.
Al-Sistani is known to keep Sadr at arm’s length, but the concerns voiced by the clerics Monday reflected a deeper desire to avoid the kind of conflict in Najaf that was recently seen in Fallujah, where several U.S. troops and many more Iraqis died in recent fighting.
Yeah I bet. It ain’t fun getting the crap kicked out of you. |