>> First time I heard this
Then you've missed nothing. The author is an ignorant idiot who is more suited for writing about martians on tabliods than a serrious article. Same goes for his editor!
There is a very long tradition (at least several centuries old) of grand ayatollahs not meeting with government officials, unless they have to. And they *never* meet with officials of occupying armies. To get an audience with a grand ayatollah is like getting an audience with the pope; it is seen as a sign of tacit approval. And ayatollahs are always vary of how the meetings can be spinned by others. So no, there is no way Sistani would meet with any US official, though he has frequently met with Iraqi government officials who would certainly convey the US perspective.
...religion has nothing to do with this. Many ayatollahs and grand ayatollahs, including Sistani, have met with western journalists, though again, getting an audience is not easy...
>> Sistani's chief competition is not the United States but an anti-American Shiite cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, and his Badr Organization, which has infiltrated Iraqi military and police units. The Iraqi parliament, truth be told, responds to the calls of the firebrand cleric.
What kind of a moron is this guy?! Competition for what? Sistani is a spiritual leader not some warlord. There are only a handful of Grand Ayatollah's in the world whereas Sadr is not even a jr. ayatollah. In fact I don't think Sadr has even achieved the educational standing that is one step below even jr. ayatollahs. The bad news is that Iraq has lost its moral compass and does not listen to Sistani anymore, which is why the bloodshed has picked up. And is also why Sistani has stated he no longer gives his opinion on political matters...in other words, the real bad news is that Sistani does not compete for control of Iraq.
Now on to factual errors:
1. Neither Sistani nor any other Shia believes that Christians are "kafir"...that is a term used for people who do not believe in God or believe in multiple gods.
2. As I pointed out, there is no competition between Sadr and Sistani: one is a political leader, the other a spritual leader.
3. Badr Army is the militia arm of Sadr's main competition, SCIRI...the idiot writer and his editor did not even do simple fact checks.
off for the day,
ST |
