Iraqis Move To Protect Holy Shrines
by Michael Tivana 8-18-04
Tens of Thousands Iraqi Citizens Surround Holy Shrines in Najaf despite the war zone.
The shrine — named after Imam Ali bin Abi Talib, the cousin and son-in-law of Islam's prophet Muhammad — is one of the most sacred sites for Shiite Muslims. For centuries, the world's 120 million Shiites have revered it as a place of pilgrimage.
The showdown has four main groups vying for vistory. Iraqi government must show it has control over its citizens in order to validate its authority. The United States must show that there is security in Iraq to maintain its sale of Iraq to foreign investors. The Mahdi Army (milita) represents a true revolt of the people of Iraq against what they consider foreign invaders. The people of Iraq would like to see a country where they have control over their lives. Control over the food they eat, the jobs they have, and even the utilities that are now all foreign owned. Most of all the Shiites want to see their sacred shrines remain intact. Thus they have surrounded the shrines with their bodies in an historical attempt to say NO to war.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ayad Allawi has warned the radical cleric to disarm his forces and withdraw from the shrine or his government will send a massive Iraqi force to root them out.
Later in the day, a top al-Sadr aide said the cleric had ordered his militia to relinquish control of the shrine where they have been holed up for two weeks fighting Iraqi and U.S. forces. But in a letter shown by the Arab television station Al-Arabiya, al-Sadr said he would not disband his Al Mahdi Army.
Al-Sadr had said in recent days he wanted to make sure the shrine was in the custody of religious authorities, though it was unclear if the government would agree to that.
Some of those in the compound were "dancing and cheering," a CNN journalist reported from inside the shrine, where she was among journalists escorted there with help from the Iraqi government, the U.S. military and al-Sadr's Mahdi Army.
"They are all very proud to be in here and seem to be very adamant about staying in here," CNN reporter Kianne Sadeq said. "They aren't going anywhere until the fighting is over."
In Washington, the Bush administration said al-Sadr needed to match words with deeds. "We have seen many, many times al-Sadr assume or say he is going to accept certain terms and then it turns out not to be the case," said National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.
The showdown in Najaf is one the world has not seen before - who will win and who will lose is yet to be determined. The future of how the world treats war is hanging in the balance. Will humanity say no to war as a viable solution? Will we say yes to a world where war does not work?
In another story -
In the battle to control one of the world's largest graveyards, U.S. Marines and soldiers say they are coping with a lot, including lingering regret. The vast cemetery in Najaf is sacred to Shiite Muslims, perhaps 2 million of whom lie buried in miles of desert adjoining the shrine of Imam Ali, son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad.
Soldiers involved in the fighting described how many of the most recent graves are marked by photos, which crumble when U.S. forces shell the cemetery walls to reach the militiamen hiding within.
"Wives, daughters, husbands," said Sgt. Hector Guzman, 28, of the 1st Cavalry Division's 5th Regiment. "You just know you're destroying that tomb."
The Houston native shook his head. "It doesn't feel right sometimes."
"There's nothing good that can come of it," said an Army operations officer, laying out the possible outcome of any strike on the mosque. "We win, we lose. We lose, we lose."
On Tuesday August 17,2004 the world witnessed history being made as tens of thousands of Iraqi citizens marched on the Shiite Holy city of Najaf from all over Iraq. Their mission is to surround Shiite Holy shrines to protect their sanctity. They marched past the guns of the US Army, the Iraqi Army, and the Mahdi army. The people are putting their lives on the line to protect their religion. Thousands of Iraqis are living in and around the Shrines.
The resplendent golden dome stands in the center of the square-shaped compound. Inside, ceramic tiles are inlaid with ornate patterns. Quranic verses and poems are inscribed around the shrine. The compound also houses treasures, including gold, jewels and ancient manuscripts.
Defying that ultimatum, al-Sadr sent a telephone text message vowing to seek "martyrdom or victory," and his jubilant followers inside the shrine danced and chanted.
Any raid to oust militants from the Imam Ali shrine — especially one that damaged the holy site — could spark a far larger Shiite uprising. Government accusations that militants have mined the shrine compound and reports that women and children were among those inside could further complicate a raid.
Other Muslim countries, including Shiite Iran, have appealed to the Iraqi government to seek a peaceful solution, and the Arab League chief on Thursday called for an immediate end to military operations in Najaf and said Iraqi civilians must be spared.
Bats flapped out of crypts, startling soldiers creeping through the cemetery with guns up. Graves opened beneath their combat boots. And an old enemy displayed a new professionalism, darting in clearly practiced moves between tombstone and mausoleum to stalk the Americans from above ground and below.