Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim States: The Battle of Tikrit Has Highlighted that Iraqis are Capable of Freeing their Land and are More Powerful than Terrorism
Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim, head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq, assured that many messages were conveyed by the battle of Tikrit “Labbayka Rassul Allah (Here I am at your service O Messenger of Allah)”, in its first and second phases, explaining that among these messages is the fact that great victories are achieved through the investment of real personal capacities. His eminence indicated that Iraq has spent billions of dollars but failed to build an integrated and strong military institution, attributing the failure mainly to the lack of an appropriate leadership and will. He added that a military unit is not built with the power of weapons, ordnance material, equipment, training and salaries, despite their importance, but is rather built thanks to the presence of a real leader heading it. He considered in this context that the establishment of a strong and solid military unit is essential to establish a professional army and effective military institution. His eminence assured that the battle of Tikrit has proved the ability of Iraqis to free their land from terrorism, adding that victory is achieved when real potentials are discovered and real leaders are prepared to lead their units with discipline, patience and power.
Sayyid Ammar Al Hakim stated that the second message shows that Iraqis are stronger than what terrorism had envisaged and that terrorism is weaker than what Iraqis had envisaged, pointing out that terrorists have made it public that they are invincible and that they will turn Iraqi cities into a field of mines. In fact, war is half will half rumor, which is what made terrorism temporarily progress. His eminence added however that the consecutive victories have proven their lies and false acts of heroism, clarifying that terrorism has proven its heroism to armless Shias in Speicher and Badush, to Turkmen and Shabak, to the Sunnis of Bounemer, Al Jbour, Al Lahib and Al Abid, to Yazidis in Sinjar and to Christians in Nineveh plains. He described those who fight along with terrorists from Caucasia and the Arabian Peninsula as the remains of ill communities and deviant personalities who take pleasure in murder and torture and look for women captivities. As for the third message, his eminence affirmed that it is a message of gratitude from everyone supporting Iraq in its decisive battle at this historical moment. He stressed that support ought not to be associated with conditions, indicating that Iraq was afflicted with terrorism, and listened to advices and tried all recipes, solutions and experiences but now the time has come to listen to Iraq. His eminence called for the halt of the conditions that are being associated with the support and advice, for Iraq accepts advice but refuses conditions, especially unfeasible ones, under any pretext.
This came during the weekly cultural forum held at his eminence’s office in Baghdad on Wednesday, April 1st, 2015.
A Call to Activate the “Voluntary Effort” for the Rehabilitation of the Infrastructure
His eminence called upon all the well-off citizens of the freed regions to activate the principle of “voluntary effort” for the rehabilitation of the infrastructure in these regions. He insisted that the residents of usurped regions must all participate in the liberation of their land and that this participation should not be symbolic or limited, because these people are worthier of freeing their land, cities and villages from the evil of Satan and its misguided succession. His eminence explained that this is what was affirmed by the supreme religious authority, as it is aware, thanks to its wisdom and insight, that the large participation of the residents of usurped regions will go a long way with final victory over terrorism, adding that the regions’ inhabitants are the owners of the land and know their entrances and exits and that they move between their folks, tribes and regions, thus recognizing the citizens and distinguishing the innocent from the terrorist. According to him, this proves to the close and far watchers, that the citizens of these righteous regions, along with their brothers in the popular crowd and the armed forces, represent one single team and one single mission. His Eminence said these measures silence the suspicious Sunnis and uncover the facts to the skeptics, reminding that their presence contributes to maintain firm control of the land after liberation, which is the main mission after each battle, explaining that the armed forces and the popular crowd troops can’t carry out this mission by themselves for they constitute a fighting force whose goal is to recuperate the violated lands and not to settle in, considering the reconstruction and restoration of the necessary infrastructure is another battle that is as much important as the battle for land liberation, and therefore, it must be dealt with in a studied way, according to pre-prepared plans with common efforts made by all ministries.
Addressing the Fighters… the Discipline Is a Foremost Obligation and a Top Commitment
Sayyid Ammar al-Hakim called on the volunteers in the popular crowd, the original tribes, the Peshmerga and the armed forces including the army and the federal police to be extremely careful not to make mistakes and to act with attentiveness, saying the battle is very sensitive and there are many people seeking revenge who are waiting for a mistake to be made somewhere so that they stir up the sectarian division, which has been already ignited, and are eager to spoil and jumble their achievements, hoping they can rise up to the responsibility and be extremely cautious and disciplined so that they prevent those who have doubtful and destructive projects in mind and who feed on the creation of crisis and divisions. His Eminence is against any mistakes that might be made whether deliberately or not, describing the discipline as a foremost obligation and a top commitment.
Addressing in a Radical, not Improvised or Temporary, Manner the Incident of the Children Beaten at School
His Eminence requested not only the dismissal of the abusing director who was shown in a video, that has gone viral, beating the children at school, but also the opening of an investigation that includes the director of the education region up to the general director of education so that all parties assume a common responsibility, considering the negligence of the top as a reason why some lower functions dare to act in a perverted and abusive manner, saying this incident indicates that the educational system suffers from carelessness in the educational, teaching and human process accompanying the education and teaching, wondering, “where is the supervising authority? Why the teachers and directors, especially at the children’s schools, are not periodically watched over? How do we make sure that such cases are not reproduced in other schools where the little children can’t defend themselves or convey their complaints?” In this context, he called for addressing the incident in a radical, not improvised or temporary, manner without relying on the incidental reactions, hoping that the minister of education thoroughly considers such incidents that impair the teaching and education system in the country and comes up with radical remedies.
Observation of Equality Regarding the Acceleration in Holding Conferences and the Courage in Taking Decisions Which will Put Everyone in the Arab League on the Same Level
His Eminence called on the Arab League to be decisive in finding a solution to the Yemeni crisis, the way it was when intervening in their affairs. He hoped that the voice of wisdom at the Arabs would be louder than artilleries’ voice, stressing the importance of balance in making stability in the region and the whole world; which is the first law of nature, wondering about the equality in the Arab League decisions, its interest about an issue more than others and the difference of measures taken in different cases. He encouraged the holding of Arab summits, hoping to hold it frequently, adding that taking decisions with the Arab majority and consensus are a step in the right direction. Al-Hakim also called on observing the equality regarding the acceleration in holding conferences and the courage in taking decisions which will put everyone in the Arab League on the same level and that their cases are treated equally, while realizing the difficulty of the complicated situation in many Arab countries, stating that the region is under intense pressure since many years and that axes and trenches are becoming more clear and attractive. He reminded that there are many controversial Arab files, so why they do not deal with all the files in the same way they dealt with the Yemeni issue and why decisions are not taken with the same level of courage.
Yemen: The Decision of Launching a War Is not As Stopping It And Dialogue Solve Every Crisis
His Eminence considered the Yemeni crisis as interrelated internally and externally which makes it more and more complex, highlighting Iraq's position not to interfere in the others’ affairs, declaring that support must be positive and not in favor of one party without the other, and warning that the decision to stop war is not as launching it. Thus, he noted that Yemen with the composition of its population, tribes, geography and people is not an easy country to launch such open war, saying that the parties involved assume the whole responsibility of what has happened in Yemen. He also declared that crossing the traditional red lines and the policy of fait accompli are not the right policy in our enflamed region, as he realized there are regional countries having a lack in their national security and considering some internal issues in some countries as an integral part of its strategic, stressing his belief to maintain stability in the region, it’s necessary to keep the traditional red lines and strengthen them, considering that crossing the red lines is a reckless act from everyone without exception, calling on Yemenis to reach dialogue as soon as possible because it solves every crisis. His Eminence hoped that this crisis would not be the beginning of an open sectarian conflict, and to not be an open sectarian struggle, not even an open national struggle.
