Secretary General of the Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq (AMSI), Sheikh Hareth al-Dhari told that the ongoing strife in Iraq is political, not religious or sectarian sedition, accused the American occupation forces of being behind what is happening in Iraq massacres, killings and destruction.

His Excellency told in an interview with Palestine al-Muslime Magazine in Damascus / Syria that Americans are well aware of who the militias and death squads are, but they do not want to stand against when alone.

Excerpts from the interview

(PM) - Is it possible to give a picture of what is happening in Iraq today?

(al-Dhari) - Regrettably, today Iraq is living the worst day ever, and why the worst in all this is the American occupation which destroyed the country and opened its doors to all who hate from it, and the eyes of predators.
Iraq became the province of a conflict of evil wills, projects and factional personal greed from internal and external of Iraq since four years.

(PM) -  What is the reality of sectarian conflict between Sunnis and Shiites in Iraq today?

(al-Dhari) - The sedition in Iraq today is political; not doctrinal or sectarian sedition. You know that there is a rift blindly swept much of the sons of Iraq, has so far killed nearly a million Iraqis, and displaced more than four million abroad, and more than 80 % of the Iraqi people are living in the worst conditions. All those are being made at the hands of death squads and militias who are very well known by the occupation forces.

The sedition is not sectarian, not a Shiite-Sunni or Arab-Kurdish. The evidence is that the Iraqi people, despite the horror of the catastrophe remains unified in most parts, and the vast majority of Iraqis are against the occupation, either resist against them or not.

The majority of Iraqis are against the heinous practices by the occupation and their collaborators who sold their consciences to the enemy occupier. Those collaborators encouraged foreigners to invade and occupy Iraq and who came with them and allied with their evil army. Now they are killing Iraqi citizens.

What happened a few days ago in the Najaf area, confirms this, but there is more than that, being mostly in central Iraq and some are in the north.

Some sectarian events are exploited politically and ideologically not ideologically.

Some political groups - which maintain their humiliation and slavery to a foreign occupier and maintain their privileges and looting - compatible with the enemy occupation, and along with to achieve their and partisan, political and personal objectives at the expense of the masses of oppressed Iraqis from the south to the middle and to the north of Iraq.

 
(PM) -  What about terrorist attacks, is it not sectarian and doctrinal war?

(al-Dhari) -  The occupation is the godmother of the problems in Iraq, which is devastating Iraq. The occupation has the capacity to prevent these militias and death squads of whose sources and information are well known.

Senior officials of the American civilians in Iraq talked a month ago. They said to some of their interlocutors that: “The militias are at our hand. If they do like this we can arrest them whenever you want.” That is when they give up resistance. If they leave the occupation to implement their projects in Iraq and in the whole ummah!!...

This is what is happening in Iraq. The war there is not a religious sectarian, as I mentioned before, but political sedition, and therefore leading persons and elders should be attentive on this sedition. Islamic history has taught us that each time affects the ummah. The scholars and sages are rushing to restore re-unity.

We are in a crisis situation and tell the truth in a suitable time. If we remain distinct and have different sectarian bias, we will find all meetings and conferences and closure statements as having the value of the ink which has only a function to write.

(PM) - The Iraqi government issued an arrest warrant about you for immediately return to Iraq. Official spokesman of the government told this. Do you expect any arrest when you enter Iraq? To your opinion to what extent the Iraqi government could go?

(al-Dhari) -  For us, this warrant issue has ever decisively and forgotten, and has nothing in our concerns and do not have any meaning for us. Of course, it does not concern us if the Iraqi government was serious or not serious to follow up, or that it will work or not.

(PM) - The Iraqi government issued a resolution a few days ago for dislodging Arab tribes from the city of Kirkuk (to refer that these tribes are Shiite Muslims). What is your stand on this resolution?

(al-Dhari) -  This action is unacceptable and incorrect; because there are Arab immigrants for decades (from the regime of Saddam Hussein). Thus this resolution will be applied not only to the Arabs who left Kirkuk, but also for all Iraqis who have migrated to other cities.

There are many Kurds who had hundreds of thousands in Mosul, and there are hundreds of thousands of Kurds living in Baghdad, Samarra, Tikrit and other Iraqi cities.
This action will be very critical results, and then will be the explosion of the situation and more than aggravation.

(PM) - Recently we have heard a group called “Soldiers of the Sky”. Who are they?

(al-Dhari) -  To swear Allah (swt), we do not know about them except what we have heard from the Iraqi official spokesman. I think this group does not exist. Their existence/presence is imaginary or fabrication from the "Iraqi" system for the objectives of charging personally.

(PM) - What is your opinion about the position of the Iraqi government from Syria after President Assad received you in Damascus?

(al-Dhari) -  Unfortunately, the last position of Iraqi Government in Syria after the visit by the Iraqi President to Syria to establish diplomatic relations was wrong and negative.

We had expected to carry out relations.  Because those things from logical relations between to countries will make deal. But it seems that there are circles in the Iraqi Government. It only dislikes and aggravate the situation with Syria. Because it is desired to fabricate and to attack side. They believe that they can attack to the side which will be not any other but Syria.

(PM) - Syria has recently taken some measures on the Iraqi refugees on its territory, what do you think about that position?

(al-Dhari) -  We have reassured our brothers in Syria that they would study the new procedures, and will, if Allah (swt) wills, to alleviate their impact on Iraqi refugees in the Syrian territory.

We reiterate our request to the brothers and Syrian officials - and their leader Bashar al-Assad to consider these actions, and to make easier the current circumstances of their Iraqi brothers, in order to develop the brotherhood among Syrians with the Iraqi brothers.

We hope Syria to raise this national, patriotic and humanitarian project and continue to the end. Because the white pages will be recorded in the history about leadership and the people of Syria.

(PM) - What is your opinion regarding the Zionist occupation authorities of sabotaging the structures/buildings near the al-Aqsa Mosque?

(al-Dhari) -  Of course, we condemn this act of vandalism. I think that this intended step of provocation and arrangement is the most dangerous step in the future. However, I would stress at the same time to the Palestinian people that their enemy is in a state of frustration and disappointment. Their power is failing. Palestinians must unite and make tolerate each other on different groups. Because victory has become imminent insaallah.

We call on the Islamic world leaders and people for solidarity with our brothers in Palestine. The enemy has no longer the power and force -as it was before- to do everything whatever they want.

Allah (swt) will help those who help their brothers.

Let me appeal through your magazine (Palestine al-Muslima), to a number of leaders of the Arabs and Muslims. I do not want to name. I call them to not stand against the resistance in Iraq if they are not able or willing to stand with them.

And I wonder: Are not the Iraqi resistance is the one who are against the world's most notorious tyrants and against the occupation? Why surrounded by the majority of Arab and Islamic regimes? Why they attack and describe as terrorism while terrorism is defined and who support and stand behind them is very well known?

Since the first days of the occupation, we say to the entire world: in Iraq, resistance targets the occupation not others, and is therefore…

We also said: There is a terrorism targeting innocent people of Iraq from all sides, Muslims and Christians, Arabs and Kurds and Shiites.

Each part of the intelligence and international bodies targeted Iraq to reshuffle and make sedition in Iraq. Today what is happening in Iraq is the reaping the results of those evil projects.

I say to them: Today Iraq is under a tragedy, and faces problems involving several sides. I do not want to mention names, or one, but I say, appeal to all Arabs or Muslims to mercy on Iraq, and to cease the hands of the Iraqis. If their intervention in Iraq is for the benefit of Iraqis; if not, go out…

The Iraqis are capable of resolving their problems…
The Iraqis are capable of expelling the occupation with the help of Allah (swt) Almighty.

They are able to look beyond this stage if it eased our brothers and enabled us to work and struggle.
Iraq will emerge from this crisis in cooperation with all honorable Iraqi people who oppose to the occupation from north to the south of Iraq.

Their resistance, their actions, their activities can liberate their country in the end with help of Allah (swt).

The Magazine of Muslim Palestine / March 2007