Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim Calls Sayyid Muqtada Al Sadr to Reconsider His Decision of Retiring from Political Work, Affirming that He Has a Significant Place
The Head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim, stressed that this phase requires uniting everyone’s efforts to complete the reconstruction of Iraq, explaining that everybody has developed their capacities to reach the desired goal and has suffered difficult complications. He indicated that Sayyid Muqtada Al Sadr has a significant place in the political arena and an influential representation on the public, legislative and executive levels, pointing out that this place will be void. His Eminence clarified the Martyr of the Niche movement’s position as being “the political and moral place of Al Sadr family can only be filled by Al Sadr himself”; this place will keep suffering from void as long as its legitimate representative His Eminence Sayyid Muqtada Al Sadr is distant from it. Sayyid Al Hakim called Muqtada Al Sadr to reconsider his decision to retire from political work if there is room for reconsideration, adding that the Iraqi arena needs this diversity because it is the essence of its integration and power. He considered that Al Sadr is a significant part of this political diversity in the past, present and future, stating that he’s aware that Muqtada Al Sadr has made a hard decision and that he realizes the size of responsibility he has towards his movement, his country and his nation. Al Hakim added that difficult decisions, no matter what the circumstances, should always undergo revision and reevaluation when they have an influence on a significant space of the social and political reality of society and on drawing the state’s future.
This came during the cultural forum held in his office on Wednesday, February 19, 2014.
Political, Social and Personal Undermining is a Distorted Method
His Eminence explained that elections are the spirit of democracy in the new Iraq and that messing with them would be tantamount to messing with this spirit and would lead to many repercussions. He called for maintaining, reinforcing and instilling the democracy spirit in the political and social Iraqi mentality, stressing the need to make the practices accompanying electoral campaigns more controlled and ethical for they will reflect the nature of those conducting them. His Eminence considered the political, social and personal undermining is not only a cheap, but also distorted, method, wondering how people can trust a movement or party that uses distorted ways to reach legislative authority, which is the frontline shield to defend the country and citizens, to protect rights and to maintain duties. Sayyid Al Hakim called on everyone to realize that those who use distorted ways, undermining and defamation don’t have a project, nor represent a vision or express a way of thinking. He highlighted that the Martyr of the Niche will hold on to its project and stances, and will move forward with determination without being stopped by defamation or undermining, explaining that the Iraqi people will not be fooled by such desperate attempts and will handle this game of cards with increased awareness. Sayyid Al Hakim indicated that the movement owns enough tools to reply to offenses, prevent violations and protect its project and country from the braggarts within the law and our legitimate, moral and national standards. He added that this country has been here for thousands of years and only keeps in memory those who are worth it, those who have left their clear footprints and shining trails on its land, who have built humans, preserved dignities and constructed projects. He warned that elections might take candidates farther than mere competition or that it might get them into dark tunnels with no end, calling to compete based on the project, the vision and future path, not on defamation, undermining, political blackmailing, and binding the capacities of the state, the country and the citizens.
The War Against Terrorism is an Open and Long War, One Without Quarter
His Eminence expressed his regret for the series of deadly bombings that have hit Baghdad, Babel and other provinces, and have resulted in tens of martyrs and injured innocent citizens. He indicated that these attacks show that the powers of darkness and takfirism insist on murdering humans and life in this wounded country, wondering what to expect from takfiris, as they accuse of unbelief and kill those who were with them and following their ideas until just recently but then disagreed with them on limited details related to the priorities of the battle, the distribution of booty and work procedure, considering the war against them as a long, open war without quarter in which we will sacrifice our lives to protect and defend our citizens and stand up against the terrorism of al Qaeda and Daesh and of anyone involved in the murder of the citizens under any slogan, maintaining that our security forces assume big national responsibilities in going after these evil groups and facing them with effective plan, clean tools and modern techniques. He also stressed the need to stop the blood-shedding, to stay away from what is prohibited, and to keep on in life. He said tomorrow is not too far, and things will turn against the actors and against anyone involved in killing the Iraqis and standing by these takfiri forces, for they will become a target for those and will regret when it is too late and the good Iraqis will eventually live in pride, dignity, security and peace. He also pointed out to the explosions taking place in Lebanon and Egypt and for which those takfiri groups impudently claim responsibility, ensuring that disgrace and shame are for those, and glory and dignity are for our Islamic and Arabic nation, and strongly denouncing all these terrorist acts, while expressing his solidarity with the families of martyrs and wounded, and all the victims of this blind terrorism and calling for standing- peoples and states- in unity to face them.
The Loss of the Army's Identity is a Loss of that of the State and the Country
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim described the army as the fortified wall of the civilized countries, and the stronghold of the free countries, taking the Iraqi army as example, calling for sticking to the army's patriotism and for making it for all Iraq and not to an exclusive community, party or person, warning against the loss of the army's identity because once lost the identity of the State and of the country will be lost as well. His Eminence reminded that as the near past tells us, the army was reduced to the dictator himself, and such reduction had adverse effects on the army, the State, the country and the citizens, stressing the importance of protecting the army against any exterior interventions and making its identity that of the entire country so that it is kept away from politicization and class exploitation. Moreover, he considered the negligence in building the military institution as an unforgivable sin in building the State and protecting the country, asking the government to endeavor to reshape the armament and training policy of the army and to ensure that the latter is up-to-dated with the development achieved by the armies of the region and the world, especially that we are in an open war against terrorism, and that the army's doctrine is clearly put in place, which is defending the country, protecting all Iraqis and staying away from political interventions. He also emphasized the need to take pride in our army and armed forces and stick to them, by working on arming and training it, and upgrading its national doctrine so that it becomes a strong institution that can operate and move under the constitution and the legitimacy, and assume responsibility for its performance and decisions while shying away from the political interventions and exploitation. In addition, he described the politics as the quicksand and the army as the institution which takes its stability from that of the country and strength of the State, confirming that what is stable must not be dragged to the laws of what is unstable.
"Our Resisting Anbar" Initiative Won over Takfirism, Deformation and Distortion
His Eminence pointed out to the "Our Resisting Anbar" initiative, ensuring that it has won over takfirism, perversion, deformation and distortion, making clear that resistance comes under many titles, and Anbar will resist under all these titles, showing that Daesh wanted to kidnap Anbar, terrorism wanted to use it as its base, and opportunists wanted to trade it, but it resisted, proved its Iraqi origin and authenticity and triumphed for itself and for its Iraqi origin. "Our Resisting Anbar" won over all overbidding, deformation, distortion and opposition game, warning of dealing negligently with the situation in Anbar by reinforcing the solutions by "mastering the national effort in an exceptional manner". Thus he called on the careful national Iraqi leaderships to convene in order to set the frameworks of the national mastering to support the solution initiatives and plans in Anbar, for no party can face or make up solutions by itself, confirming that the past experiences proved that individual decisions are a way to move backward and that the common and collective decisions are the only way to ensure our progress.
