'Just World News' with Helena Cobban

Grand Ayatollah Sistani joins the fray

Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, long considered strongly committed to a "quietist" rejection of political engagement, has now taken a serious step toward endorsing opposition to US diktats in Iraq.

This is the news from Juan Cole, one of the world's most knowledgeable and reflective experts on the politics and ideology of Iraq's Shi-ite majority population. Earlier today (or perhaps late last night, Michigan time), Cole read an article in the liberal Iraqi daily Az-Zaman, datelined from Najaf, reporting that Sistani has issued a fatwa stating that any body that writes a new constitution for Iraq would have to be elected, not appointed by US gauleiter (my word) Paul Bremer.

If you want to find Cole's piece, you'll need to go to his blog; then once there, look for the July 2003 archive in the Archives listing in the lefthand sidebar. Click it, then scroll down nearly to the bottom to this particular post on July 1. It starts out:

*Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has entered Iraqi politics in an unexpectedly big way. He has denounced US administrator Paul Bremer's plan...

Cole has done us all the favor of translating the Zaman report, and you can find the translated text on his site, which is a great and really informative weblog.

Sistani is insisting on two sets of nationwide elections: one to elect the constitutional commission, and one to ratify the draft constitution.

Bremer, of course, has proposed creating some kind of an appointed council that would do some governing and some constitution-writing. (Though of course it's hard to tell exactly what he does plan, since the DoD is making up the whole governance-of-Iraq policy as it goes along.)

Sistani's fatwa states very straightforwardly, “The Occupation Officials do not enjoy the authority to appoint the members of a council that would write the constitution.” Here's some more from the Zaman report:

Calling for general elections, Sistani said, “general elections must be held so that every eligible Iraqi can choose someone to represent him at the constitutional convention that will write the constitution. Then there must be a public referendum that will be called by this convention.”

Sistani affirmed that “It is incumbent upon all believers to demand the realization of this important matter, and to join together in achieving it in the best manner possible.”

Cole notes that Sistani issued his fatwa only hours after meeting for "more than an hour" in Najaf with-- Ahmed Chalabi...

Cole also has some background there about how Bremer and Co. have become majorly disillusioned with Chalabi, having discovered that the guy can't be trusted with money (Millions of Jordanian small investors could have told them that, a decade ago!!)

Of course, the fact that Sistani consorts with Chalabi doesn't make me think any better of the Grand Ayatollah.

But hey, he is a Grand Ayatollah, and as such is going to be listened to extremely carefully by that 60-plus-percent of the Iraqi population which is Shi-ite and which, in very unsettled times, is looking for sources of authority and stability. (Which they notably aren't getting from the Occupation Authority.) As far as I can figure, Sistani's the topmost figure in the Shi-ite religious hierarchy in Iraq.

None of this news of the prospect of continuing conflict in Iraq brings me any joy, whatsoever. I am glad though that the principle of "might makes right", and the proposition that any national leadership from anywhere in the world can send troops elsewhere to coerce political change there are getting--quite rightly--skewered by what is happening in Iraq.

George W. Bush, it seems to me, urgently needs to develop an exit strategy for the poor old American heartland guys and women who now find themselves trying to deal with a truly impossible situation inside Iraq.

The Washington Post's Anthony (Pulitzer-on-the-way?) Shadid has yet another great story on the front page of today's paper, detailing just how many deep, deep misunderstandings have arisen between a small squad of US reservists and the Iraqi police they're supposed to be re-organizing.

The head of the US squad, Staff Sgt. Charles Pollard even openly admits to Shadid that, "We have no business being here." (Plus he makes some really rude comments about some of his Iraqi co-workers/underlings, to Shadid, in English, in front of these same people-- on the highly questionable assumption that Iraqi police officers can't understand what he's saying... )

This venture is not destined to end well. For anyone, but especially not for people like Staff Sgt. Charles Pollard.

Nor, come to that, for George W. Bush as he goes into a re-election year. Maybe it's time for the Prez to try a new approach. How about this:

• Start talking with Kofi Annan about handing the whole problem squarely over to the UN.
• Fire Bombs-Away Don and all the advisors who helped get him into this mess.
• start proceedings against Chalabi for the recovery of the $2 million of US funds he can't account for.
• Pick a new running-mate for 2004, and-- last but not least--
• Bring the troops home!