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February 06, 2005
An Islamic "Democracy"
I managed to sit through nearly an hour of Wolf Blitzer's interview with Donald Rumsfeld this morning -- the usual slate of lies and evasions. What was interesting were Blitzer's questions about what the US would do if Sistani's UIA party decides to base the new Iraqi constitution on Islamic law. Rumsfeld continually avoided the questions, insisting that such a situation will never happen.
Oops:
NAJAF, Iraq : Iraq's Shiite leader Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and another top cleric staked out a radical demand that Islam be the sole source of legislation in the country's new constitution.
One cleric issued a statement setting out the position and the spiritual leader of Iraqi Shiites made it known straight away that he backed demands for the Koran to be the reference point for legislation. The national assembly formed after last month's historic elections is to oversee the drawing up of the new constitution and Sistani is the figurehead of the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance expected to become the largest single bloc.
[snip] Sistani leads the five most important clerics, known as marja al-taqlid, or objects of emulation, who had portrayed a more moderate stance going into the election.
The surprise statement was released by Sheikh Ibrahim Ibrahimi, a representative of Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Ishaq al-Fayad, another of the marja.
"All of the ulema (clergy) and marja, and the majority of the Iraqi people, want the national assembly to make Islam the source of legislation in the permanent constitution and to reject any law that is contrary to Islam," said the statement.
A source close to Sistani announced soon after the release of the statement that the spiritual leader backed the demand.
Politicians who say one thing then do another when elected? I guess the Iraqis have learned something about democracy after all.
Posted by Kevin Jon Heller on February 6, 2005 at 10:39 PM in World Events | Permalink
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Comments
Guess you missed this:
http://iraqthemodel.blogspot.com/2005/02/new-form-of-tyranny-not-that-easy.html
Posted by: 29 | February 7, 2005 12:44 PM
Interesting how the rambling blog entry doesn't link to anything, and there is no mention of a "clarification" on any of the newswires...
Posted by: Kevin Jon Heller | February 7, 2005 12:53 PM
Gee... I missed the part that mentioned Sistani being a member of the 275 person National Assembly charged with picking a President, and drawing up the Constitution. He can want in one hand, and take a dump in the other and observe which fills first. It isn't going to be easy to get two-thirds of the Assembly to agree on ANYTHING, let alone this point.
Now, who is the source close to Sistani which goes unnamed? The nanny? The milkman? The maid? How can we know who this person is, and how connected they are? You have to love "unnamed" sources, the workhorse of lazy reporters everywhere.
It strikes me your "news" story is more full of holes than the blog, and that is saying a mouthful.
Posted by: Buster | February 7, 2005 06:54 PM
The depth of Buster's ignorance, to say nothing of his offensiveness, is simply breathtaking.
Posted by: Kevin Jon Heller | February 7, 2005 07:02 PM
Speaking of rambling blog entries, Kevin does nothing but name-calling in response. What is the saying? Instead of raising your voice, you should be reinforcing your argument.
Is Sistani a member of the Council? That was a simple yes/no question. If the answer is no, then he is marginalized by being an outsider. If yes, then he is marginalized as being one of 275, with two-thirds needed to accomplish anything. I fail to see anything in any article which alters these facts in any fashion.
Who is the insider? Again, a simple question. In the day an age of Jayson Blair, it is not a stretch to believe an overpaid, underworked journalist would make something up. Enter the "unnamed sources". We are just supposed to take everyone's word that the source is well placed, and everything they say is true, correct, and factual.
Great. Then print their names. Pen and sword, don't you know. Failing that, I have to assume (post-CBS) the source is lying, and the outlet is a more-than-willing accomplice. Enter Kevin, the more than willing accessory to the accomplice. In the words of Gen. George Patton, if everyone is thinking alike then someone isn't thinking. Isn't it strange there is never a positive story that reflects well on the administration coming from Kevin?
As I said before, it doesn't require thought to be contrary. It just requires well-honed mimic skills.
'Nuff said.
Posted by: Buster | February 8, 2005 10:15 AM
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'''February 7, 2005'''

Iraq
Iraq – With a strong lead in a pre-weekend partial report, Shi'a leaders have begun making known their interests in a Shiite Prime Minister. Others have spoken of the negotiations for the constitution. Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Ishaq al-Fayad is quoted saying the separation of religion and state must be "completely rejected."

"All of the Ulema (clergy) and Marja, and the majority of the Iraqi people, want the National Assembly to make Islam the source of legislation in the permanent constitution and to reject any law that is contrary to Islam," he said in his statement.

Vice President Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld spent the weekend on television shows and interviews assuring the U.S. public the Iraqi elections would not result in a theocracy for the country.

"We have a great deal of confidence in where they're headed," Mr. Cheney said on ''Fox News Sunday''. "I don't think, at this stage, that there's anything like justification for hand-wringing or concern on the part of Americans that somehow they're going to produce a result we won't like."

The violence of the insurgency, however, has returned after a brief lull following the elections whose final returns are expected in the coming week.

* 14 insurgents, 22 Iraqi police officers and soldiers were killed in an attack on a police station south of Baghdad.
* Four Egyptian telecom engineers were abducted.
* One U.S. soldier was killed and two injured by a roadside bomb north of Baghdad.
* One U.S. marine was killed south of Baghdad on Saturday.
* In a rocket attack, 2 missiles exploded near the Baghdad Airport, while a third struck an Iraqi National Guard building; no casualties were reported.
* On Friday, an Italian jounalist was abducted near Baghdad University.