Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim calls on the Citizen Bloc to respond to the programmed targeting of it by explaining its electoral program
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), has called on the candidates from among the sons of the Movement of the Martyr of the Niche and their allies in the Citizen Alliance to accept the arrows of the competitors with patience, with outgiving, and with communication with the Iraqi people, and to explain their electoral program to the citizen, regarding the targeting of the Citizen Alliance as a programmed targeting and an evidence for this alliance being distinctive. His Eminence stressed not to be dragged into bad mouthing and accusing this entity or that, describing the cheap bad mouthing programs which some people follow as being erroneous, explaining that the Iraqi people have limited patience and will deeply evaluate and make its statement. This came up during the cultural forum at the Baghdad office of His Eminence on Wednesday, March 6, 2013.
Properly building governorates will lead to properly building the homeland
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim urged the candidates of the citizen alliance to turn the mottos of “My governorate first,” “My homeland first” and “the citizen comes first” from a slogan into the feeling which the citizen senses by serving him and serving the homeland. His Eminence renewed his notion that the governorate council elections are service rather than political councils. This requires directing the eyes towards how to serve the citizen rather than turning them into a station for political feuds. He regarded the motto of “My governorate first” as the prelude to building the homeland. His Eminence retorted, “Is not the homeland the governorates?!” He stressed that building the governorates properly will lead to building the homeland properly, explaining that “The service nature of the governorate council elections is the one that prompted us to raise the slogan of ‘My governorate first’, whereas the parliamentary elections are political for which a suitable slogan will be raised,” regarding the focus by some people on the political slogans in the governorate council elections is cheating the Iraqi voter and taking him distantly from the electoral program.
The Citizen Alliance’s strategy is to focus on the electoral program
His Eminence regarded changing the slogan of the Citizen Alliance by deleting one of its letters or by adding another is a clear injustice to which the citizen Alliance is exposed; therefore, the people must look at it. He stressed that the citizen Alliance will continue its march with resolve and willpower, and that its electoral strategy is to focus on its electoral program distantly from the language of badmouthing others, drawing attention to the plan to focus on the electoral program will contribute to firming democracy and social peace, and it will build a sound system that places the citizen before electoral groups that present themselves by presenting their plans, programs and projects as the citizen chooses, and that we will support his choice. He stressed that choosing the candiates from all areas of Iraq is not a logical choice; rather, it is a choice that is in sync with the service philosophy of the governorate council elections, and that the choice came due to the candidates knowing their areas as in “The people of Mecca know best its valleys.” He regarded true patriotism as meaning all citizens of Iraq, from every county and district, taking part in decision making, emphasizing that nominating young people came due to believing in them. He explained that the youths will prove that the Iraqi youths can provide much, pointing out to the diversity of the candidates from all sects, ideologies and ethnicities, an evidence for the strength, openness and ability to coexist with others. He emphasized that the Movement of the Martyr of the Niche is not seeking power but to serve; power is not their ultimate concern; rather, serving the citizen is the basis.
The mass graves must be regarded by Iraq, then by all nations, as a genocide crime
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim brought back to memory the popular Intifada (uprising) of 1991, explaining that the popular Intifada in March of 1991, which then coincided in the month of Sha`ban, was broad in its label, bypassing sect, ethnicity and area, involving all cities of Iraq from Kurdistan to the south. He pointed out that 14 governorates moved simultaneously, expressing their extreme anger with the regime, with the genocide to which they were exposed. He stressed that they won the sympathy of important circles from the good Sunni Arab component, explaining that the Intifada was Islamic in its identity and expressive of the Iraqi people’s attachment to Islam, to religion, to the religious authority at the time which was represented by imam al-Khoei (may his soul be sanctified), drawing attention to the Intifada facing domestic, regional and global media blackout which caused it to be exposed before the military machine of the oppressive regime. His Eminence compared the Iraqi people’s uprising in 1991 and the media blackout of it with the uprising of the Arab nations from the media standpoint and how the Arab peoples’ uprising gained media and publicity which helped those who carried it out, ending their revolutions with the least losses. His Eminence added saying that the American president at the time betrayed the Iraqi people, asking the Iraqis to come out. As soon as the uprising was launched, the people faced the oppressive machine contrarily to what he [the American president] had promised, turning the people into a prey to the oppressive regime. He stressed that the extent of targeting the Iraqi people started from the religious authorities, the scholars, the elites, the competencies and reached the citizens. His Eminence brought to memory how the United States of America provided Saddami helicopters with fuel as the youths were crowded at public parks and stadiums to be executed in mass graves that claimed in two weeks more than 400,000 to 500,000 victims in the largest genocide witnessed by history. He explained that the ferocious killing machines and the tanks which had this writing on them “There will be no Shi`as after this day”, annihilated the people, using heavy weapons and phosphoric bombs, drawing attention to the editorials of the Thawra newspaper at the time of the uprising were threatening the Shi`as, and those editorials were written by the oppressive ruler at the time himself, which means it was a dangerous precedent coming from a ruler threatening to wipe out the massive majority of his people.
The past regime and its symbols alone bear the responsibility of what they committed against the people
His Eminence called for classifying the mass graves as mass genocide and to regard the Anfal crimes as mass genocide, calling to continue the march and to let Iraq regard the mass graves as mass genocide then the world community following suit. He explained that the mass graves generation is fully aware of the extent of the blessing at present, the honor and the dignity: It is now possible for a citizen to demonstrate, to protest, as the government hears and obeys, and as the news media watches and covers the demonstrations. He pointed out to the present reality, despite remarks about not addressing all Iraqi rights, retracting, “But comparing nowadays with the times of the uprising of 1991, we discover that we are before a great development, and we have to thank Allah for this blessing.” He held the past regime and its pillars responsible historically for what they had committed against the people without holding any entity or group such responsibility. He explained that the Iraqis are brothers who love each other and shall always remain so, calling for bearing the responsibilities before the families of those who carried out the Intifada and to compensate them morally and financially, expressing his regret for not completing a museum that explains the extent of the injustice meted to them, thus doubling it. He brought to memory the call of the Martyr of the Niche in 2003 to any government that would then be formed to be fair to the martyred victims, the prisoners and the victims of the mass graves, regarding the uprising as a torch emitting light, giving hope and reminding the citizens of liberating themselves and standing in the face of oppression, and that it was the seed for the Arab revolution.
Recent attacks: Terrorists’ renewed message
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI), directed his call to everyone saying: Close your doors in the face of the sectarian monster that wants to trap people,” warning them that history will not be kind to anyone who seeks sectarianism, stressing that the Movement of the Martyr of the Niche will do all it can to stand in the face of sedition, to strengthen the unity, stressing that when the attacks target areas having a majority of followers of Ahl al-Bayt (as) means it is the renewed sectarian message of the terrorists, emphasizing that terrorists take advantage of the country’s political crises through which they carry out their actions, kill and mutilate the parts of people on the streets.
The relationship between Iraq and Egypt shall contribute to enhancing harmony among Muslims
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim regarded the visit to Baghdad by Egypt’s prime minister and accompanying delegation as having the potential to strengthen harmony among the Muslims, pointing out that both countries, which witness diversity and plurality, have opportunities and abilities to crystallize good relations among them since both Egypt and Iraq have a civilizational diversity and legacy, making them optimistic due to such proximity. He expressed his hope that the relationship will turn in its broad framework distantly from any axes or opposition towards the other side. He stressed that the closeness of Iraq and Egypt serves the interest of everyone, pointing out that Iraq is at the inception of its reconstruction and building, while Egypt has many energies. This requires the coordination of efforts so each country may benefit from the other, regarding the relationship between the sacred al-Azhar and the religious Marji`iyya in al-Najaf al-Ashraf as a label for moderation, a prelude for the Islamic unity and for harmony, calling for deepening this relationship and for stretching bridges between sacred al-Azhar and the religious Marji`iyya.
Central athletic unions’ elections: a turning point in administering sports work
His eminence explained that the elections of the central athletic unions represent a turning point in administering the athletic work, congratulating those who won in the secondary elections for athletic unions, wishing them success in raising Iraq’s flag high at international, Arab and Asian assemblies.
International Woman’s Day: An opportunity to remember the injustice to which the Iraqi woman is subjected
His Eminence explained that the International Woman’s day is an opportunity to bring to memory the injustice to which the Iraqi woman is subjected, the woman who has her own Islamic day as advocated by the Martyr of the Niche to fall on the anniversary of the birth of al-Zahraa (as), a Day for the Muslim woman.
