Let us imagine what would have happened if Sistani hadn’t been present. The sectarian crisis in Iraq would have led to bloodier massacres and would have bred real civil wars between sectarian regions. The situation in Syria would have also been a lot worse. Sistani forbade his followers from going to fight there, and avowed his support for the decisions of the Syrian people without prioritizing the sectarian factor. As a result, massive numbers of ardent Shiites who were enraged by the radical Sunnis’ behavior toward their fellow Shiites and sanctuaries obeyed the fatwa of their religious guide and refrained from going to battle. Furthermore, in Sistani’s absence, Iraq would have become subject to the radical religious rule of religious parties. However, Sistani put his foot down by strongly refusing that Sharia be imposed on society and by defending the civil identity of the Iraqi state.
Posted on: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 18:03:15 +0000