jamiroguy1 Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 Top Iraq Cleric Survives Assassination AttemptReutersThursday, February 5, 2004; 1:27 PMNAJAF, Iraq -- Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, survived an assassination attempt Thursday when gunmen opened fire on his entourage, a security official in his office said."At 10 o'clock (2 a.m. EDT) this morning, gunmen opened fire on Ayatollah Sistani as he greeted people in Najaf, but he was not hurt," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Sistani, revered by Iraq's Shiite community, which makes up about 60 percent of the population, is rarely seen in public and seldom leaves the holy city of Najaf, about 100 miles south of Baghdad. In recent weeks, Sistani has spoken out against U.S. proposals for transferring power back to an Iraqi government by July 1, saying he wants direct elections to be held rather than a U.S. plan for a system of indirect regional caucuses. Sistani's pronouncements carry enormous weight in Iraq and his opposition to the U.S. power transfer plans has thrown into question whether sovereignty will be returned by the deadline. The attempt on the veteran cleric's life is likely to spur anger in Iraq's Shiite community, which was suppressed for more than two decades during Saddam Hussein's regime. Saddam is a Sunni Muslim.Full Articlehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15963-2004Feb5.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamiroguy1 Posted February 5 Author Report Share Posted February 5 Originally posted by jamiroguy1 Top Iraq Cleric Survives Assassination AttemptReutersThursday, February 5, 2004; 1:27 PMNAJAF, Iraq -- Iraq's most powerful Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali Sistani, survived an assassination attempt Thursday when gunmen opened fire on his entourage, a security official in his office said."At 10 o'clock (2 a.m. EDT) this morning, gunmen opened fire on Ayatollah Sistani as he greeted people in Najaf, but he was not hurt," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. Sistani, revered by Iraq's Shiite community, which makes up about 60 percent of the population, is rarely seen in public and seldom leaves the holy city of Najaf, about 100 miles south of Baghdad. In recent weeks, Sistani has spoken out against U.S. proposals for transferring power back to an Iraqi government by July 1, saying he wants direct elections to be held rather than a U.S. plan for a system of indirect regional caucuses. Sistani's pronouncements carry enormous weight in Iraq and his opposition to the U.S. power transfer plans has thrown into question whether sovereignty will be returned by the deadline. The attempt on the veteran cleric's life is likely to spur anger in Iraq's Shiite community, which was suppressed for more than two decades during Saddam Hussein's regime. Saddam is a Sunni Muslim.Full Articlehttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15963-2004Feb5.html BTW:You know... Al Sistani's assasination could've brought on an Iraqi civil war. We don't want this guy martyred. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramadas Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 That would be perfect for the paramilitaries now wouldn't it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babbo Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 Originally posted by raver_mania That would be perfect for the paramilitaries now wouldn't it? like aI said, if left to their own devices, the arabs will self destruct Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kramadas Posted February 5 Report Share Posted February 5 Originally posted by babbo like aI said, if left to their own devices, the arabs will self destruct they might be living a few years behind the rest of the world but they will hardly "self-destruct". According to that logic all of Africal will "self-destruck" as well then.In case your history is sorta blurry the US went through one of the worst civil wars in western history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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