al-Sistani condems Sadr for attack on Imam Ali mosque

From
The Scotsman

COALITION troops engaged in heavy fighting with militants loyal to the outlawed Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr in Najaf yesterday in clashes that left at least 13 Iraqis dead and damaged one of the holiest Shia sites in Iraq.

It was unclear which side was responsible for causing the minor damage to the Imam Ali mosque, but a high-ranking cleric accused Sadr’s militia of deliberately attacking the revered shrine.

Ayatollah Mohammed Baqr al-Mehri, the Kuwaiti representative of Iraq’s most powerful Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Husseini al-Sistani, said the Sadr militia fired a mortar shell at the dome of the shrine but missed it and hit a wall instead.

Ayatollah Mehri called the attack "a cowardly act" and said Sadr loyalists should not use the shrine for storing their weapons and as a sanctuary.

"We want to tell the world, and America, that Muqtada al-Sadr is not one of us, and this is a conspiracy against Shiites so that we don’t get any [political] rights," Ayatollah Mehri said, referring to Shiite demands for greater political representation in the new Iraq.

Any attack on the holy site would be seen as deeply provocative by Shiite Muslims.

Ayatollah Mehri represents Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Sistani, the pre-eminent Shiite religious leader in Iraq.

But how does the BBC choose to report it?

Mr Sadr reportedly visited the site of the attack in Najaf to inspect the damage, amid chanting from crowds.

Al-Jazeera TV showed damage to the inner gate of the shrine leading to the tomb and debris strewn on the ground.

It also showed that a veil covering the entrance to the tomb had been torn and injured people lying on the floor of the compound.

A representative of militant cleric, Ahmed Shebani, said five or six missiles had hit the building.

It was not clear who fired the missiles.

Notice who the BBC quote? "A represenative" of Sadr. No mention here of Ayatollah Mehri's comments condeming Sadr.

Also notice that even Al-Jazeera TV can only show "damage to the inner gate" and a "torn veil". Wow!

The BBC have learned nothing from the Hutton report and their new boss so far as shown it is business as usual. As I have said many times the BBC is causing many of the problems in Iraq through their biased reporting.

Sadr's days are numbered but Time Magazine wants you to believe "...the rebel leader's popularity is growing".