Posted on 05/02/2004 11:35:24 AM PDT by anniegetyourgun
QOM, Iran (AP) - The spiritual mentor of a radical Shiite Muslim cleric fighting U.S. forces in Iraq distanced himself Sunday from attacks against coalition forces by militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. Through one of his top aides, the Grand Ayatollah Kazem al-Hosseini al-Haeri said it wasn't yet time for military confrontation with the United States. But hundreds of his followers are returning to Iraq with a message from him encouraging Iraqis to reject the U.S. occupation and warning the coalition against disrespecting Muslim holy sites in Iraq.
"His Eminence has not issued any fatwa (religious edit) to engage in military confrontation with the U.S.-led occupying forces," al-Haeri's younger brother and closest adviser, Mohammad Hossein al-Hossein al-Haeri, told The Associated Press Sunday.
"The time is not ripe for that," he said. The younger al-Haeri, who also is a cleric, was speaking on behalf of the grand ayatollah, who doesn't generally meet journalists.
The call came as militiamen loyal to al-Sadr attacked a U.S. convoy Saturday night between the southern cities of Basra and Amarah, killing two soldiers.
The night before, militiamen clashed with British troops for several hours in Amarah, first attacking a patrol then firing rocket-propelled grenades at the British base. Five Iraqis were killed and six British soldiers were wounded in the gunbattles. On Sunday morning, al-Sadr forces fired mortars at the U.S. base in Najaf, causing no damage or casualties.
"As far as we are not forced into a confrontation, the ayatollah doesn't agree to fighting," al-Haeri said.
However, al-Haeri said trampling the dignity of Iraqis and attacking holy shrines in Iraq may give enough justification for the ayatollah to call for Jihad against Americans.
"We have not reached that point yet," he said.
Despite the differing views, al-Haeri refused to openly criticize Sadr.
The elder al-Haeri was the closest adviser to Sadr's father, Ayatollah Muhammad Baqer al-Sadr, and effectively succeeded him. He is known as the spiritual father of Muqtada al-Sadr, but it was not clear how the difference of opinions on military confrontation with the U.S. affected their relationship.
Shiite Muslim leaders in Iran don't encourage military confrontation with the United States, instead calling for a political solution to get the U.S.-led coalition forces out of Iraq.
Hundreds of Iraqi pilgrims visiting al-Haeri's offices in Qom, some 80 miles south of the capital Tehran, return to Iraq with a strong message written in Arabic from their leader.
"From the very beginning, I was convinced that U.S.-led forces didn't come to Iraq to bring freedom but occupation. Now, it has been proved," said the written statement from the grand ayatollah. Officials at al-Haeri's office distribute the statement to the visiting Iraqi pilgrims.
"Americans have killed many Iraqis in the name of freedom and democracy. Where is that democracy? We warn the U.S. not to trample the dignity of the Iraqi people and avoid disrespecting Islamic sanctities," the statement said.
More than 1,000 pilgrims, mostly coming from Najaf, Kufa and Baghdad in Iraq, visit a nearby shrine of a Shiite saint everyday. The visitors welcomed al-Haeri's statement. An Iraqi woman from al-Sadr city kissed the statement as she left the office Sunday.
We're not there to disrespect them, just make them holier.
I wish our attitude was that it wasn't yet time to give this guy a Hellfire Enema. Unfortunately, our attitude is more like "I'm terribly sorry for making you angry, Mr. al-Haeri".
I hope that we are preparing for when they decide the time is right while we are trying to put an Iraqi face on the democratinization of Iraq.
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