At Jihad Watch we have never shared in the general enthusiasm for the Ayatollah Sistani, with his classification of unbelievers as "unclean" on a par with blood, urine, and feces, but there is no doubt about which side the mainstream media is on in Iraq, and it appears that the AP story we posted here on May 22 is inaccurate.
Gateway Pundit (thanks to Banafsheh Zand-Bonazzi) has details from the Iraqi press, including a denial from Sistani's office.
This instance of media irresponsibility and dishonesty illustrates yet again the "Good News is No News" dictum about which the estimable David Chavarria writes at Outside the Wire: "It is an interesting look at how news from Iraq is 'made.' As I watched and listened to this interview, I couldn't help asking myself, 'Is this the way all / most reporters are? If it is, how much does that skew the news we get?'"
A great deal, my friend. A great deal, and not just in relation to Iraq, either.
UPDATE: Not so fast.
I think that the real issue here is determining in a reliable and definitive way whether Sistani is a friendly dirtbag, or a traitorous dirtbag. If he's been double dealing and getting our troops killed, then we should kill him. But even if he hasn't, we shouldn't fool ourselves about the virtuous nature of our allegedly democracy-loving Iraqi allies.
Face it, Sistani is nothing but a piece of fece.
We'll have to be hit over the head before we admit that backing al-Sistani might have been a mistake. And even then, we might be too dizzy to realize what just happened.
al-Sistani has always maintained opposition to foreign troops in Iraq..
and is there really any difference to conducting Jihad and declaring a Fatwa?...
and didn't al-Sistani help rescue Nasrallah when he was trapped in Najaf when the Marines assaulted the town? yep.
al-Sistani is a bloodthirsty Muslim just like the ones he supports..
Mr. Spencer
I agree that the western media lies about all sorts of stuff in relation to Islam and Iraq. However, look at the details of what these sources say that “expose” this AP story.
Article Number 1:
"Iraqi Nibras Kazimi at Talisman Gate, who has met Ayatollah Sistani before, countered the AP report." He included this observation:
“It is in this vein that this AP story is released; to distract from other things that could be reported in Iraq, such as how things are dramatically improving and how this war has been decisively won.”
Won? Really? Ok, I will just blindly forget everything I have learned about Islam, forget everything I have seen Muslims do, just accept that Islam is cool, everything is great, nothing to see here…but wait there is more! He pulled rank…
“So let me pull rank here and tell you all that I’ve met Sistani. In fact, I sat in on an hours-long conversation between Sistani, his eldest son who runs his father’s daily affairs, Adil Abdul-Mahdi (Iraq’s current Vice-President) and Ahmad Chalabi. This happened in the early spring of 2004. It was an illuminating discussion that delved into law-making, the role of Islam, history, international relations and of course, gossip.”
He is a wonderful man…very illuminating.
“When we got up to leave, Abdul-Mahdi and Chalabi again went through the theatrics of customary hand-kissing. When it was my turn, I was face-to-face with the marji’ with my hand out-stretched for a shake, but he wouldn’t take it and instead hugged me and kissed me on both cheeks and said something to me in private that I will cherish and keep to myself.”
He kissed me…“I will cherish and keep it to myself”. Ok maybe Nibras Kazimi is a great guy, but anyone who is in love with Sistani like this is not trustworthy, at least on this subject. I liked how he name dropped people like Abdul-Mahdi and Chalabi. Oh yes…these were the guys that got us to stay in the first place.
Article Number 2:
"Iraqi-American Haider Ajina helped translate the article that was published at the Arabic website Iraq Alalaan."
PLEASE NOTE THE CAPS….
“Source added that from the beginning of religious authority from the outset is that "Iraq is not ready for jihad or a military confrontation for the TIME BEING, after the devastation left by the great wars of the former regime."
“The source said that Sistani "supports the resistance to the occupation, but not by military means, for the TIME BEING."
Then Iraq-American (The translator of this article) Haider Ajina says “Sistani has never said the American presence was an "occupation”. Maybe he is right, but it is clear how Sistani views our troops and Americans in general. I could care less what he calls us. He is no friend.
Article Number 3:
"More... The Iraqi Press denied the report today!
Aswat" Al-Iraq reported:
Is just a revamped version of the translated Article No. 2. Nothing new there, just less facts and it is in English.
Article No. 4
"IraqSlogger has more:
Shi'a Clerics Dispute Sistani "Fatwas" Report"
Same here, although it claims al-Malaf has “high placed sources”. They, however, contacted the office of Sistani himself and they did NOT COMMENT on the report.
Article No. 5
I just more of the same…
The point is Juan Cole has an agenda to get us out of Iraq, but it would be foolish not to say those who are critical about this article don’t have an agenda also, which is to keep us in Iraq for the TIME BEING. The words…”TIME BEING” are enough to give me pause. These people have been as consistently as wrong over the last few years as Cole has been. Instead of giving me hope they instead blame the western media for all this. Yes, it is the western media who makes Muslims look bad. It is the western media who blows up stuff. Everyone else is to blame for why something does not work.
You see the Iraqis really love us, Sistani is a friend, the war is working, see, we just need more time…and then more time, and then more time…..etc.
It is all about time….for the “time being”.
From above: Yes, it is the western media who makes Muslims look bad.
And I thought they tied themselves into pretzels trying to make muslims look good. LOL
Muslims have an amazing talent for making themselves look bad, they really don't need the help of western media for that.
No matter how swell Sistani is, he is still one of the high priests of the evil cult of Islam, dedicated to the invented god Allah, by Islams invented prophet...
duh_swami
"And I thought they tied themselves into pretzels trying to make muslims look good. LOL"
They do, but the Islamic world is a demanding audience. They want dhimmi perfection...
The reason why I think the AP story is partially right is because this is NOT Dhimmi perfection.
The people who attack this AP story hinge their argument on this...
"The source said that Sistani "supports the resistance to the occupation, but not by military means, for the time being.""
The argument they make is Sistani does not view the U.S. as occupiers. This to me is just word play. Everyone know how he feels about non-muslims and the American military is non-muslim for the most part. It is clear what is meant from the words "time being" and who the "occupiers" are.
Once again he is playing to two audiences. Telling us what we want to hear for now, and giving those "hint" words to his faithful of what he really means.
The AP story is perhaps inaccurate (in some details) for the "time being". Give it some time...it will be true soon enough. I trust Sistani to do what Islam teaches.
Give it some time...it will be true soon enough. I trust Sistani to do what Islam teaches.
by greatcomet
The problem is defining "what Islam teaches".
When speaking to Bush, they tell him Islam teaches "peace". The message to al-Sadr is one-hundred-eighty degrees removed from the message to Bush but both are "what Islam teaches".
Then we ask Bush what Islam teaches and he'll say he has it on good authority that Islam teaches peace and that he trusts Sistani to do what Islam teaches.
Ask al-Sadr or another hardliner or even a moderate the same question and you will get the same answer: Sistani will do what Islam teaches.
But what does Islam teach? It's in the eye of the beholder.
Talk about skew.
My local NBC TV station recently identified a rabidly anti-gun group as being, "a group that supports gun owners rights,".
I was stunned and amazed. It was as if they had said black is white and good is bad.
This bald faced lie was never retracted despite all I could do. How many other lies do we swallow because we don't have direct knowledge of what they are "informing" us about? I shudder to think.
That was the day that it became crystalline clear to me that you can't trust ANYTHING that comes from the mouths of these talking heads. They will repeat any lie that appears on the teleprompter as if it were a truth they had personally witnessed.
Later the same station aired a story in which it was claimed that the large number of guns in our town was causing our children to become criminals.
Yeah...and flies cause garbage.
What does Islam teach?
As far as I can see, Islam teaches that if you aint Muslim, you don't count.
It's just a matter of time before Sistani feels that he's in a position to make his views on this subject, known...from his own mouth. I think the words, "for the time being." say it all. It's in his manual of war after all.
"But what does Islam teach? It's in the eye of the beholder.
Posted by: PMK "
death
Talk about skew.
My local NBC TV station recently identified a rabidly anti-gun group as being, "a group that supports gun owners rights,".
I was stunned and amazed. It was as if they had said black is white and good is bad.
This bald faced lie was never retracted despite all I could do. How many other lies do we swallow because we don't have direct knowledge of what they are "informing" us about? I shudder to think.
That was the day that it became crystalline clear to me that you can't trust ANYTHING that comes from the mouths of these talking heads. They will repeat any lie that appears on the teleprompter as if it were a truth they had personally witnessed.
Later the same station aired a story in which it was claimed that the large number of guns in our town was causing our children to become criminals.
Yeah...and flies cause garbage.
What does Islam teach?
As far as I can see, Islam teaches that if you aint Muslim, you don't count.
It's just a matter of time before Sistani feels that he's in a position to make his views on this subject, known...from his own mouth. I think the words, "for the time being." say it all. It's in his manual of war after all.
Sorry 'bout the double post...
Once again he is playing to two audiences. Telling us what we want to hear for now, and giving those "hint" words to his faithful of what he really means.
Posted by: greatcometof1577
Arafat did that also, must be a common tactic...
Another Skunk. An old one at that. Mumbling something about the smell of his lair.
What is he waiting for, his last dying breath?