More from Basra

The latest news from Iraq's second largest city, via email from Haider Ajina:

Greetings,
The following is my translation of a headline and article, which appeared in Iraq's “Alsabah” & “Aswat Al-Iraq” of November 30th.

‘Basra’s Sunni religious leaders issue a Fatwa banning killing Shiites or belonging to extremist or terrorist groups’.

'Sunni leaders in Basra representing, Party of Islam, Muslim Scholars Association, The Sunni Endowment and heads of Sunni tribes, issued a Fatwa (religious opinion or edict) banning and forbidding the spilling of Shiite blood or joining any terrorist or extremist organization. The Fatwa also called for the rebuilding of the Asqariah shrine in Samarah.

Sheik Abd Al-Karim Jerad (Sunni), head of the ‘Party of Islam’, said, in a press release on Wednesday, ‘All Sunni religious references in Basra had a conference on Tuesday and issued a unanimous Fatwa (religious opinion) forbidding and banning the spilling of all Iraqi blood (Sunni or Shiite) and all other sects’. He pointed out that this Fatwa reinforces ones from the past issue by these same groups. He added, ‘the Fatwa also forbad and banned joining any extremist or terrorist groups, for they are the source of the rancor. The Fatwa also stipulated the speeding up of rebuilding the Asqariah shrines in Samara. We are calling for the unity of citizens legally and nationally. I call on the Basra security forces to fulfill full security, pursue criminals, extremists and terrorists’. He added that Multi National forces should leave in accordance to a timetable and give the country full independence. Jerad then said,’ while this Fatwa came in response and solidarity with Muqtada Alsadar’s request, it also came to reinforce earlier Fatwas issued by these same groups.’

Muqtada Alsadar had asked, in his Friday sermon, Sheik Hareth Althari (chairman of the Muslim Scholars) to denounce the spilling of Shiite blood and stand against extremist organizations. This brought about the Fatwa, which was signed by nine Sunni scholars.

Haider's comments,

Basra (Iraq’s second largest city) being much more peaceful than Baghdad, is taking the lead in uniting Shiite and Sunni against the terrorist who are trying to tear them apart. Sadly, though a high-ranking member of the ‘Sunni Endowment’ was assassinate late Thursday with two of his guards. This is the price courageous people pay in Iraq if they denounce sectarianism and extremisms. The extremist or “Baath–Alqaida” will go after courageous leaders such as these. The reasons for this are obvious, they want the instability to continue, democracy and the rule of law to fail and wait us out.

This is the second time in as many days that Sunnis in Basra are showing solidarity with their Shiite brethren and distancing themselves from the Baathists and Alqaida and its extremist ilk. I hope other provinces will join this trend.

Regards
Haider Ajina
McKinleyville CA