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Iraq’s Shiites, Sunnis Form Anti-Occupation Body
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The
new body pressed for sidelining the U.S.-appointed Governing
Council and called for a meeting with Brahimi
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Additional
Reporting By Samir Haddad, IOL Correspondent
BAGHDAD,
May 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Iraq's Sunnis and
Shiites formed Saturday, May 8, a pan-religious body to stream efforts
for ending the occupation.
The
United Iraqi Scholars Group -- which appointed a 16-strong leadership
panel -- has vowed to boycott any political group set up by the United
States and called for a stronger army than the small force envisioned
by the US-led occupation authority, reported Agence France-Presse
(AFP).
After
a five-hour conference, attended by 500 Iraqis from across the
political spectrum, the group said its agenda was based on
"legitimate resistance to end the occupation" and keeping
Iraq united.
It
deemed all laws passed or to be enacted under the yoke of occupation
"illegal" and demanded an end of occupation as soon as
possible.
The
new body, grouping Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds, pressed for sidelining
the U.S.-appointed Governing Council and called for a meeting with
U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi.
Sheikh
Jawad al-Khalisi, a senior Shiite scholar who will head the group,
said it wanted the handover of power to Iraqis on June 30 "done
under the umbrella of the United Nations and not the Coalition
Provisional Authority (CPA)."
"In
previous talks we told Mr. Brahimi about our desire to politically
take part in the transfer of power but on one condition, that it
should not be done under the shadow of the occupation."
Dr
Muthana Harith al-Dhari, spokesman of the Muslim Scholars Association,
said: "We will inform Mr Brahimi about our total rejection of the
Governing Council which we consider as being designed by the
occupation."
"Various
religious groups, trade unions, human rights activists and university
professors showed up for the gathering," he said.
Dhari
asserted that the conference crowned eight months of preparations, and
came after a delegation was sent to a number of Arab countries to
compare notes.
The
conference participants, none from the Governing Council, included
Sunni and Shiite scholars as well as 30 nationalist and Islamic
groups.
"We
are joining together to work out a common platform and write an
agreement intended to put an end to the occupation," one of the
organizers, Abdullah Hayali, said in press statements.
The
preparatory committee grouped the Association of Muslim Scholars, the
Arab Nationalist Movement, the Democratic Reform Movement and the
Human Rights Higher Committee.
Closing
Ranks
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Khalisi said power transfer should be done under the umbrella of the U.N. not occupation authority
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The
conference came two days after Sunni and Shiite leaders held another
meeting in the capital to unify ranks and probe means to end the U.S.
military siege of cities and towns, reported IslamOnline.net
correspondent.
The
speakers, including representatives of the Association of Muslim
Scholars and the office of Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani,
underlined the importance of acting in solidarity to end the seal-off
of cities by occupation forces.
They
were referring to the Sunni town of Fallujah, that had come under a
crippling U.S. siege for more than three weeks.
"Occupation
troops should also end the siege of the two Shiite holy cities of
An-Najaf and Karaba," Shiite scholar Abdel-Gabar Al-Maamuri told
IOL, citing the final communique.
Emadeddin
Khalil, a Mosul University professor, said "all
collaborators" with occupation forces should be "boycotted
or isolated".
"We
should close ranks, as we are all under the yoke" of occupation,
Khalil told IOL.
The
gatherings came four days after thousands of Sunnis
and Shiites converged at the Abu Ghraib prison to protest
abuses by U.S. soldiers against Iraqi detainees and to call for ending
the occupation of their country.
"Go
Home, U.S. Soldiers", "Iraq for Iraqis" and
"Democracy is not to force people to follow USA", read some
of the banners waived by the demonstrators.
Several
photographs
showing Iraqi detainees being tortured and sexually abused by U.S.
soldiers have sparked waves of condemnations from Iraqis, Arabs and
international bodies.
On
Thursday, April 29, a new USA TODAY/CNN/Gallup poll revealed at least
71% of nearly 3,500 Iraqis of every religious and ethnic group see the
U.S.-led forces as "occupiers"
and not "liberators".
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