The Strife which Has Arisen within the Iraqi Community is Rather Heartbreaking/A Word of Advice to the Iraqi Authorities and Politicians

In the beginning of his Fiqh course in the A‘ẓam mosque in Qom, Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi extended his congratulations on the occasion of the thirteenth of Rajab, the birth anniversary of Imam Ali (a). He then referred to the strife which has arisen among the Iraqi authorities and officials and described it as “heartbreaking”. Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi further said in this regard: “on the one side of the dispute are the Iraqi president and the Iraqi prime minister, and on the other side, there is the parliament; moreover, a number of people have also staged a sit-in, shutting down the parliament and the government”.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi, then, addressed the Iraqi people, politicians, and authorities and stated: “under current circumstances that the ISIS terrorists still dominate some of the important regions in Mosel and are still committing atrocities and causing so much destruction there how can you be divided like this? You must be vigilant now otherwise the enemy that has entered your country may reach Baghdad if you do not act quickly”.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi also noted: “There is no rightful side to such disputes under such critical conditions and everyone is responsible for the damage that is done. The Iraqis must settle their disputes with each other and remain united in driving the enemy out of their country”.

His eminence further stated: “what is the root of this strife? Is it because some are seeking more power and wealth, or is there some other reasons behind it? Some may say that this issue is an internal affair of the Iraqi people and no one must meddle with their internal affairs. However, everyone must note that the religious authorities have no borders and they belong to the entire Muslim world. We intend but what is good for the Iraqi people as well as the entire Muslim world”.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi also added: “I hope that our Iraqi brothers and Iraqi authorities, from the prime minister to the MPs as well as those who have staged a sit-in, just think for a moment about the outcomes of their division, particularly under current circumstances. If, God forbid, the ISIS terrorists gain control over the entire Iraq, they will be a hundred times worse than Saddam Hussein for the Iraqi people”.

His eminence then stated: “remember what Saddam did with your religious authorities and your loved ones! If these bloodthirsty terrorists gain control of Iraq, the conditions will become far worse than the time of Saddam. We hope that everyone in Iraq recognizes what is at stake here and they remain united and vigilant in order to prevent the enemies from achieving their sinister goals”.

Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi also noted: “Of course it is a known fact to everyone that there are certain states like Saudi Arabia, the US, and Israel which fan the flames of discord in Iraq with the purpose of causing chaos in this Muslim country and weakening its government so as for the ISIS terrorists to gain control over it”.