I was really outraged when I got an Email from unknown stated that a group of Iraqis trying to run a petition for nominating Al-Sistani for Nobel Prize for Peace with the link to the petition. It is not clear why Al-Sistani is a candidate as a peace maker but it is clear that some political forces trying to use the name of an Iranian cleric to achieve some Islamic political goals and trying to hide behind him and he is accepting to play this roll, the same forces used Al-Sistani in the election and they succeeded to gather 4,5 Million votes at the same time they recruiting militias to blow up bars, Alcohol stores and killing Christians and other minorities, all this with the blessing of Al-Sistani [ since he did not issued a Fatwa against it then he is accepting it].
Where was Al-Sistani when Saddam killed hundreds of thousands of people during his reign? did he lost his tongue at that time?, I am very disappointed to see that such a man has so much influence in our country and much more disappointed to see the people are voting for the Iraqi Alliance and signing this petition.
The creators of this petition are people running their own political agenda and trying to merchandise the Iraqi Alliances party and there is always Al-Sistani who let him self to be used as as a Gandhi image, until today 23053 people and I bet there are some intellectuals between them and no one told the organizers that Nobel prize Committee don’t work this way.
1– Nobel Prize Committee don’t work with petitions.
2– Nobel prize Committee has it’s own nomination mechanism.
3– The date 25-February of every year is last day for the nomination for Nobel Prize.
4– After all, Nobel Prize is not this big honor as some people might think, actually in many occasions the committee was biased [Tolstoy been banned from the prize because of his position against Zionism, Gabriel Garcia Marquez said “I am ashamed that my name will be associated with Nobel Prize”].
Hope one day 4,5 Million Iraqis voters and the other 23053 who sign this petition will wake up and understand that such people will not give us what we need. That is to say freedom and peace but I personally don’t see this day is coming soon
Yes! I agree completely. He is manipulating and subverting true secular democracy, no matter what he says. He should only be given limited credit for restraining Shia vengeance against Sunni terror groups, since any civil war would destroy his own nest, too.
The trouble is that once you have exerted influence and given orders, you are always regarded as someone who might and likely will do so again, so much of the damage has already been done.
Those killing christians and buring alcohol stores are the Sunnis, specifically Wahhabis. Al Sistani is against violence and stood against Al Sadr to stop the violence. His stance on calming the Shiites is very important in preventing a civil war. If it wasn’t for his stance, a civil war would have benn a certainity, since most of this killed by the Sunni insurgency (the Wahhabis) are Shiites.
He was nominated by group of intellectual christians! They know they he will not be considered because of the deadline, etc. But they wanted to regonise his efforts in calming the situation.
Last but not least, Al Sistani has not political ambitions; however, his presence and his views against religious control of political is an advatage to the secular movement.
Prejudice is a clear and present danger between Iraqis. We mustn’t regard all Sunnis as terrorist nor all Shiite religious clerics as trying to make Iraq like Iran.
You ignored my point, Ahmad: He has exerted authority himself already, and the fact that he might and could do so again subverts the political process.
And his background and website are shockingly pro-Sharia. He remains a danger.
I think Ahmad Chalabi should win the Nobel Peace Prize for his ability to make all Iraqis agree. River put it so succinctly. And, of course, Sistani should not get it. I mean, come on. We know he’s influential, but he’s been inflated. Even I’m guilty of inflating his influence. So, please, give me a break. You can’t buy alcohol in Baghdad without having to pull off some “Mission Impossible” stunt that involves nasty old (fuel?) containers in the street. Perhaps if you could still sell and buy alcohol in Iraq without fearing death…then I would have considered him as accomplishing something close to peace in our land of death and destruction.
Until then, the slimeball chalabi’s got my vote.
hehe,
lim.
Brian, I didn’t ignore your point. He has authority, but his authority is limited to the Shiites only because he is the Shiite Merjeaya (i.e. the reference and guide of all Shiites). That’s why his site is pro-Shiite, what do you expec? :)
I believe that he is not subverting the political process and or secular democracy, and I will tell you why.
There are few Shiite religious groups currently involved in politics and the ambitions of these groups are different! I am particularly worried, or would’ve been more worried if it wasn’t for Al Sistani, from the SCIRI and its leader Al Hakim.
Al Hakim, I believe, is more loyal to Iran than Iraq, e.g. when James Baker was touring the world to reduce Iraq’s debts, Al Hakim was in Iran and said publically that Iraq should pay Iran 100 Millions for the Iran-Iraq war!!! Second, Al Hakim would like to change Iraq to become like Iran and he said it on Iraq’s TV!
So the presence of someone who has such high authority, yet at the same time is totally against Iran style regime is a good thing, I believe, at least for now.
Brian, sorry that was 100 billions not millions (what Al Hakim said)!