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Iraqi Cleric Al-Sadr on Samarra Blast, Government Formation, Iran

Posted on: Friday, 10 March 2006, 18:00 CST

Al-Iraqiyah Television at 1810 gmt on 10 March begins to carry a recorded "exclusive interview" with Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr conducted by Abd-al-Karim Hammadi. The date of the interview is not given.

Asked about the attack on the shrines in Samarra, Muqtada al- Sadr says that his reaction to the incident was a mixture of sorrow and anger, adding that "the attacks on our imams, God's peace be upon them, are a part of the attacks on Islam". He notes that "there was the attack on the Prophet" before that. He adds that "the faithful reserve the right to respond" to the attacks.

Asked what he means by "reserving the right to self-defence", he says that defending Islam is a duty but that the country should not get involved in a civil war or a sectarian war. He says the interests of the country should take precedence and that Muslims should protect their countries and sanctities. He urges the formation of "specialized security committees" for the protection of holy shrines so that no other "crimes" would be committed.

Asked about the reasons that made him cut short his regional tour, he notes that the attack on the shrines was a grave event and that he wanted to end the problems in Iraq.

Muqtada al-Sadr says that the Samarra bombing "reflects deep- seated rancour in the hearts of the takfiris [Muslims who brand other Muslims of being infidels] and al-nawasib - let me call them nawasib - who harbour hostility to Ahl al-Bayt [the prophet's family]". He says this incident is not a political one but a religious and ideological incident.

Asked whether he accuses any party in particular, he says: "The party that carries weapons is one, as I have said previously, but the weapons might be different. Sometimes it is the takfiris; on other occasions it is the Saddamists or other persons, but the party that holds the weapons is the infamous trinity - Israel, America and Britain."

Muqtada al-Sadr calls for exposing the perpetrators and showing them on television. He adds: "I still assert that the party that has colluded is the occupier and the Zionist Israeli entity, which harbours hostility towards the Iraqis and Islamists in general."

Asked whether there is a connection between the insults to Prophet Muhammad and the Samarra incident, Al-Sadr says there is a connection, and that the attack on the prophet's grandchildren is an attack on the prophet.

Muqtada al-Sadr says the attack on mosques and on Sunnis and Shi'is is unacceptable. He adds: "If there is an enemy, it is the occupier. If there is an enemy it is takfir and the Saddamist Ba'th and other titles that belong to the occupier."

Al-Sadr urges the Association of Muslim Scholars [AMS] to clarify its position towards the takfiri forces and to do several things, including "demanding the departure of the occupier". He says he had not heard the association and some Sunni parties make such a demand for a while. He also asks the AMS to demand Saddam's execution and to condemn the actions of the takfiris.

Turning to the government crisis and the stand-off over the selection of Ibrahim al-Ja'fari for the post of prime minister, Muqtada al-Sadr hopes that all parties will find a solution that satisfies the Iraqi people. He adds: "I have said that the person who is nominated to the post of prime minister should demand the departure of the occupier or scheduling the [departure of the] occupation. I do not support any person who does not say this. The important thing at this stage is the departure of the occupier because it is the main reason for everything that is happening in Iraq, including the disagreements and problems."

Asked about the idea of federalism, Al-Sadr says that there is no problem with the idea, but that the timing is problematic. He says it will lead to partitioning Iraq and a struggle among the various Iraqi regions.

He calls on the government to activate "de-Ba'thification". He adds that the Ba'th Party was given the chance to rule Iraq but it failed.

Asked if he will agree to assume a government post in proportion with the size of the Al-Sadr trend, he says he will turn down any such offer. Asked whether the Al-Sadr trend will request certain portfolios in the make-up of the next government, he says he hopes that the electricity issue will be radically resolved. He advises the Al-Sadr bloc not to request sovereign ministerial posts.

Turning to his recent tour of some neighbourly countries, Al- Sadr says his tour was intended to serve the Iraqi people and "alleviate their suffering both externally and internally". "We know that there are some problems between Iraq and its neighbours. I wanted to resolve these problems, bring our viewpoints closer and cement ties between the peoples and even between the governments if I can," he adds.

On his meeting with the Saudi officials, he says he met with the Saudi monarch as well as Shi'i and Sunni clerics. He says that there is a lot of "extremism" in this country, which requires great efforts on the part of the Saudi government to combat "extremism" and "proceed towards openness and freedom". He notes that there are Saudi efforts to exclude the "takfiris".

He adds that he was asked to meet with "takfiris" during his visit to Saudi Arabia, but he turned down the offer.

On his visit to Kuwait, he says: "My main and sole demand was that Iraq's neighbours should call for a timetable for the withdrawal of the occupation forces.""My other demand was to tighten the noose around the takfiris as much as possible. Some countries cooperated with this demand but some others did not," he adds.

He goes on to say that during his visit to Syria, he offered to get Al-Mahdi army involved in protecting the Syrian-Iraqi borders. He notes that the Syrian government agreed to this proposal, but the Iraqi government has yet to agree.

Asked about his ties with Hezbollah, Al-Sadr says "resistance is legitimate in all countries, be they Islamic or non-Islamic". On his relationship with Hezbollah Secretary- General Hasan Nasrallah, he says "like any relationship between two Islamic Shi'is and two resistance men, there should be unity and solidarity to end occupation in these Islamic countries".

Al-Sadr decries the US "interference" in the trial of former President Saddam Husayn.

On Iran's nuclear issue, he says this issue is being used by the USA and Israel to apply pressures on Islamic states led by Iran. "I did not say that I would defend Iran. I said that I will defend Islam," he says. He notes that he is willing to defend any Islamic state and not only Iran.

Source: BBC Monitoring Middle East

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