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Iraqis
Chant No Bush, No Saddam, Yes Islam
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Iraqi demonstrators carry an
anti-Bush and anti-Saddam banner
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BAGHDAD,
April 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Tens of thousands of
Iraqis, both Sunnis and Shiites, joined hands in massive
demonstrations in Baghdad after the first Friday prayers since the
fall of the capital, demanding an end to the Anglo-American occupation
of their country.
Chanting
anti-American slogans, the protestors called for establishing an
Islamic regime to replace Saddam Hussein's deposed government,
terminating the occupation and safeguarding the unity of the country.
In
their preaches, imams of Baghdad’s hundreds of mosques warned
against the installation of a U.S.-styled democracy in the
predominantly Muslim state, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"This
is not the America we know. The America we know respects international
law, respects the right of people," Islamic scholar Ahmed
al-Kubaisi told the massive worshippers in Imam Abu Hanifa mosque in
Baghdad.
Accusing
the United States of launching the war in support of Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon, Kubaisi called for forming a Council of Shiite
and Sunni scholars to see whether the would-be Iraqi administration
should be approved or not.
The
masses poured out of the mosque, carrying copies of the holy Koran and
waving banners that read "No to America, No to Secular state. Yes
to Islamic State."
"Leave
our country, we want peace," one banner read.
Leading
the angry demonstrators, Kubaisi said Iraqis had been betrayed by
Saddam, who has disappeared along with most of his government members.
"Saddam
was the one who betrayed his people and ignored them and
escaped," he said.
But
Abu Dhabi television broadcasted
what it described as the last footage of Saddam waving to a cheering
crowd in Baghdad on 9 April, the day U.S. tanks rolled into the Iraqi
capital.
The
footage, if authentic, is thought to be a conclusive a proof that
Saddam did not strike a deal with the U.S. forces to leave Baghdad
without a fight in return for leaving the country safely as many have
speculated.
The
demonstration served notice of the hostility that the United States,
which has appointed a retired American general to lead an interim
administration in Iraq, is likely to face from sectors of the
influential Muslim clergy.
The
BBC correspondent said there was a tense confrontation earlier when an
American patrol stumbled into a crowd kneeling outside a mosque.
The
worshippers surged forward angrily, but the U.S. commander skillfully
withdrew his troops and defused the situation.
The
occupation troops had entered the area of the mosque allegedly to
distribute humanitarian aid, said the correspondent at
the scene, adding that it is the biggest demonstration of Arab
nationalism since the end of the war and shows what powerful
sentiments the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq has stirred up.
False
Democracy
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Iraqi
demonstrators carry anti-American military messages as they march after
Friday prayers at the Abu-Hanifa mosque in Baghdad Friday |
Spirits
were high at the Al-Hikma mosque in the poor Shiite Muslim suburb of
Sadr City, formerly Saddam City, where some 50,000 worshipers jammed
the mosque and surrounding streets patrolled by Kalashnikov-wielding
guards.
Sheikh
Mohammed Fartusi did not name the United States in his sermon.
But
he said the Shiites, who constitute a majority in the northern suburb,
would not accept a brand of democracy "that allows Iraqis to say
what they want but gives them no say in their destiny.
"This
form of government would be worse than that of Saddam Hussein,"
he told the first Friday prayers to be held at the mosque since the
1999 riots sparked by the assassination of the imam, Mohammed Sadeq
Sadr.
Fartusi
urged the faithful to follow the dictates of the Shiite
"Hawza," the council of senior clergymen, AFP reported.
No
major incidents were reported in the Friday prayers, held as Iraqis
were still trying to find their footing under U.S. occupation in a
chaotic post-war environment.
Initially
gave a cautious welcome to the U.S. troops who took over Baghdad nine
days ago, Iraqis have been increasingly critical of the failure to
quickly restore order and basic services such as water and
electricity.
Political
jockeying is also intensifying with scores of parties elbowing for
position, self-proclaimed governors and mayors floating through the
landscape and U.S. military officials keeping a tight lid on events.
"Faith
Of Islam"
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Iraqi
Muslims shout slogans against Anglo-American occupation of their
country following Friday prayers at Abu Hanifa mosque in Baghdad |
Tens
of thousands of Shiites were also expected in the holy city of
Karbala, one of their holiest shrines, 80 kilometers (50 miles)
southwest of Baghdad, to mark the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of
prophet Muhammad, in battle in the year 680 AD.
The
commemoration, which will culminate Tuesday, April 15, will also
provide an opportunity for the Shiites to flex their new political
muscle.
Sheikh
Kaazem al-Abahadi al-Nasari told thousands of worshippers at Hussein's
mausoleum, "We reject this foreign occupation, which is a new
imperialism. We don't want it anymore."
"We
don't need the Americans. They're here to control our oil. They're
unbelievers, but as for us, we have the power of faith."
The
head of the Supreme Assembly of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the
Iran-based Shiite group, has also called for "a political regime
guaranteeing liberty, independence and justice for all Iraqis under
the reign of Islam."
Only
a small group of the Iraqis turned out for Friday prayers last week,
with looters and vandals roaming the streets two days after Saddam's
rule crumbled under the pressure of a three-week U.S. military
offensive that also say ferocious and stiffer-than-expected resistance
and higher-than-anticipated death toll in the U.S.-led forces.
Since
then, anger has grown on the streets of Baghdad where power has been
out for two weeks, most shops still closed and hospitals overwhelmed
with large numbers of wounded and lack of drugs.
The
protests on the Muslim holy day came as regional states gathered in
Saudi Arabia to weigh a response to the Iraq war.
On
Wednesday, April 16, scores of Iraqi Shiites shouted their rejection
of the U.S. military presence in front of American marines deployed
around Baghdad's Palestine Hotel.
"Down
with America," chanted the 200-odd protesters led by clerics,
including one with the black turban usually worn by descendants of
Islam's Prophet Mohammed.
"We
want real freedom" and "The Iraqi people themselves must
choose their rulers," read two of the banners raised by the
protesters. Marines kept reporters at bay.
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