Sister Toldjah!
2/25/2006 - 4:46 pm

Via The Australian:

THE movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, alleged to have played a role in the anti-Sunni violence over the last few days, publicly made peace with political and religious Sunni leaders overnight.

Four sheikhs from the Sadr movement made a “pact of honour” with the conservative Sunni Muslim Scholars Association, and called for an end to attacks on places of worship, the shedding of blood and condemning any act leading to sedition.

The agreement was made in the particularly symbolic setting of Baghdad’s premier Sunni mosque Abu Hanifa where the Shiite sheikhs prayed under the guidance of Sunni imam Abdel Salam al-Qubaissi.

The meeting was broadcast on television and the religious leaders all “condemned the blowing up of the Shiite mausoleum of Samarra as much as the acts of sabotage against the houses of God as well as the assassinations and terrorisation of Muslims”.

The statement made reference to the key concerns of both communities with the violent aftermath to the attack on the Samarra mausoleum which saw more than 119 people die.

The sheikhs condemned “those who excommunicate Muslims” a reference to the “takfireen” or Islamist extremists like Abu Musab al-Zarqawi who justify killing fellow Muslims by declaring them non-Muslims.

“It is not permitted to spill the Iraqi blood and to touch the houses of God,” said the statement, adding that any mosques taken over by another community should be returned.

The meeting also announced the formation of a commission to “determine the reasons for the crisis with a view to solving it”, while also calling for a timetable for the withdrawal of US troops.

Will this ‘peace initiative’ of sorts between the two sides work? Time will tell. All I can say is the sooner the better - so our men and women in uniform can come home.

Omar at Iraq the Model is keeping track of the latest developments in the aftermath of this week’s wave of violence as well as providing clarification on a few things reported by our media.

Related Toldjah So post:

Posted By: Sister Toldjah in: Iraq, Middle East, War on Terror
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Comments

  1. If you listen closely you can almost hear the “collective” pitiful moans in the halls of Liberal back-biters, with each positive bit of news from Iraq or the ME in general. Kind of heart warming for those of us the give a damn about the sacrifices of our young men and women in uniform.

    - Bang **==

    Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/25/2006 - 5:24 pm

  2. It’s entirely possible that this tragedy might backfire on al-Zarqawi and his thugs, producing exactly the sort of banding together Iraq needs to survive.

    Comment by CavalierX @ 2/25/2006 - 5:57 pm

  3. At least part of the resolution, here, might have been the understanding that if you blow up their Mosques, they will blow up yours. How deliciously non-PC.

    Comment by Walter E. Wallis @ 2/25/2006 - 6:16 pm

  4. My initial thought with regard to the 1200 year old building was horror. I don’t think an entire regiment of Orwellian’s can re-write this, but then as long as the NYT’s peddles their wares…..

    Colonel Jerry USMC(retired) eluded to this somewhat, at Aces HQ a day or two back.

    Heaven forbid good news should ever see the light of day!

    Comment by forest hunter @ 2/25/2006 - 6:17 pm

  5. - Interesting the parallels you can draw when you think about it. I seem to remember another similar conflict in a flegling Democracy between the Torries and the Copperheads long ago and not so far away…..

    - Bang **==

    Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/25/2006 - 6:18 pm

  6. USA did not get angry with all only got even with Bin Laden. I note the BBC leading the drum beat of doom and gloom about dome.

    Comment by stackja @ 2/25/2006 - 7:53 pm

  7. Big Bang, I just read about the Bull Run history. Very honest and interesting to say the least. Next chapter…..

    Comment by forest hunter @ 2/25/2006 - 8:03 pm

  8. Been reading some on this and though it seems coincidental at this time, alot of evidence is showing that Sadr may be behind this with the old Sadr brigade we had problems with before, and let him go.

    Last I heard from Sadr he put a stop to the terroristic activity of his sadr brigade and went into Iraqi politics.

    In our neighborhood the Sadr militias seized the local mosque and broadcast Shia religious mourning songs from the mosques loudspeakers.

    In several other cases, worshippers were turned away by “gunmen in black” who surrounded the closed mosques. Other mosques are encircled by razor-wire to stop anyone from approaching them.

    Looking at the geographic distribution of the attacked mosques, I found they were mostly in areas adjacent to Sadr city forming a line that extends from the New Baghdad district in the southeast to al-Hussayniya in the northeast.

    The Association of Muslim Scholars is accusing the Sadrists in particular, actually it’s not only the Association that accuses the Sadrists, most people here in Baghdad point out the role of Mehdi army of Sadr in carrying out most of the attacks.

    The Association is trying to remind Sadr of the their times of solidarity during the battles in Najaf and Fallujah yet they are condemning his message to his followers in which he called for keeping up and escalating the “protests”.

    Link

    The defense minister in a press conference currently on Iraqi TV gave statistics to correct what he described as “exaggerated media reports” about civilian casualties and attacks on mosques since the attack on the Samarra shrine:

    Mosques attacked/shot at without damage: 21 not 51
    Moderately damaged: 6 not 23
    Mosques destroyed totally: 1 not 3
    Mosques occupied by militias: 1 not 2 (evacuated later).
    Civilians killed: 119 not 183

    It was also announced that day-time curfew in Baghdad and three other provinces (Salahiddin, Diyala and Babil) will continue for another two days.

    Wow the media was reporting incorrect facts? I can’t believe that.

    I mean look at the wonderful press coverage they ran for Katrina.
    How can they get something like this so wrong?

    Iraqis must be the puppets of Bush! They are reporting what HE tells them to tell the reporters and the media. That is the ONLY way the media could have been wrong. The MSM is never wrong!!!

    *** Yes that was sarcasm if you hadn’t noticed ***

    In the same press conference, the interior minister said “we are not going to show tolerance towards those who cause violence anymore, those who felt like doing something have done what they done but we will accept no more of this” obviously referring to those who let their anger push them to violence.

    The defense minister added that they are working in the government on activating the counter-terrorism laws which includes “arresting anyone who’s found guilty of provoking violence”.

    And added “We have put the armored units of the Iraqi army on high alert and these units (one division+) will be deployed to the streets one we see a real need for that”.

    Comment by sanity @ 2/25/2006 - 8:59 pm

  9. Welcome aboard the Peace train. Peace

    Comment by steve @ 2/25/2006 - 9:23 pm

  10. - Actually Steve, the Liberty train left the station quite awhile ago and you weren’t on it. Liberty comes before peace. Without freedom, there can be no peace, and you have to fight for peace. So freedom will be fought for by others willing to fight in your place, and then when all the sacrifices are made you can move back in when its safe.

    - Bang **==

    Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/25/2006 - 10:46 pm

  11. Big Bang: When they came around passin’ out brains, he thought they said trains and hid behind a Veteran! He’s still in hiding.

    I don’t like it that these cowards exist, but I’m aware that not everyone was meant to fight for the things worth fighting for. It’s their self-imposed ignorant maliciousness and the spiteful denials, which serve no purpose but to bring America down that’s so reprehensible.

    Comment by forest hunter @ 2/26/2006 - 12:41 am

  12. Funny how people still think that the Constitution is what gives them Freedoms.

    If not for the men and women who guard it, who fight for it, it would be nothing more than a piece of paper.

    Without the military that piece of paper will hold no meaning if you have no one who will stand up and fight for thier rights.

    I can bet you if we were ever invaded, and say China took over the US, that Piece of paper (the Constitution) would be burned in front of our eyes.

    Without men and women to fight for the Freedoms that are within the Constitution, it is no more than a piece of paper.

    Think about that.

    Comment by sanity @ 2/26/2006 - 12:59 am

  13. - Theres nothing at all wrong for being a pacifist. What is wrong is in pretending you hold a monopoly on the idea, when the vast vast majority of people in the world just want the same things. Unfortunately there are some who want to take your liberties, and your peace away from you. Those are the people that must be fought to save peace for all of the rest of us. Again, theres nothing wrong with being a pacifist, except when you brag about it, while you watch others die and sacrifice in so many ways, letting you enjoy the freedom to speak down on their sacrifices you think it cute to deride. You’ve can’t know how lucky you are they do what they do for you.

    - Bang **==

    Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/26/2006 - 1:32 am

  14. Hamas has agreed to recognize the right of Israel to exist, the UAE still has not done that. Until the UAE recognizes the right of Israel to exist the USA should not do business with them. It appears that the Republicans have ceased there support of Israel by doing business with the UAE. Peace

    Comment by steve @ 2/26/2006 - 11:54 am

  15. -My Steve…. How absolutely “tolorant” that is of Hamas… to actually stop calling for the iradication of another religion and country. Its a hands down sure thing they’ll get the Nobel peace prize…

    - BTW do you have a link that shows that to be the case officially, because the last I heard they were restating the same old hate filled positions as always. I really hope what you say is true. It would be a huge step in the right direction. Link por favor?

    - Bang **==

    Comment by Big Bang Hunter @ 2/26/2006 - 3:55 pm

  16. Any thoughts about why the UAE should get a bye on this issue? Peace

    Comment by steve @ 2/26/2006 - 7:14 pm

  17. Steve: What bye would that be?

    Comment by forest hunter @ 2/26/2006 - 7:55 pm

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