Posted on 01/23/2005 9:56:10 PM PST by freedom44
BAGHDAD, Iraq, Jan. 21 - With the Shiites on the brink of capturing power here for the first time, their political leaders say they have decided to put a secular face on the new Iraqi government they plan to form, relegating Islam to a supporting role.
The senior leaders of the United Iraqi Alliance, the coalition of mostly Shiite groups that is poised to capture the most votes in the election next Sunday, have agreed that the Iraqi whom they nominate to be the country's next prime minister would be a lay person, not an Islamic cleric.
The Shiite leaders say there is a similar but less formal agreement that clerics will also be excluded from running the government ministries.
"There will be no turbans in the government," said Adnan Ali, a senior leader of the Dawa Party, one of the largest Shiite parties. "Everyone agrees on that."
The decision appears to formalize the growing dominance of secular leaders among the Shiite political leadership, and it also reflects an inclination by the country's powerful religious hierarchy to stay out of the day-to-day governing of the country. Among the Shiite coalition's 228 candidates for the national assembly, fewer than a half dozen are clerics, according to the group's leaders.
The decision to exclude clerics from the government appears to mean that Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, a cleric who is the chief of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the scion of a prominent religious family and an oft-mentioned candidate for prime minister, would be relegated to the background. The five Shiites most likely to be picked as prime minister are well-known secular figures.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Great news from Iraq.
Get ready for the "if only the USA was secular" mantra from the MSM.
Encouraging.
According to this story this guy:
Go home Yanks, says PM in waiting (Iraq)
THE Shi’ite Muslim cleric tipped to become prime minister after next Sunday’s election in Iraq has said it will be the duty of the new government to demand the withdrawal of American forces “as soon as possible”. “No people in the world accepts occupation and nor do we accept the continuation of American troops in Iraq,” said Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, leader of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq.
But I was just told by the MSM that Hakim was the Shiite most likely to head up the new Iraqi gov't and that he wants the US out of Iraq muy pronto. Given that that talking point no longer appears to be operative, I wonder what the new MSM -- raq is a quaaaaaaagggggmiiiirrreeee -- talking point is going to be.
Good news bump!
bttt
"There will be no turbans in the government," said Adnan Ali, a senior leader of the Dawa Party, one of the largest Shiite parties. "Everyone agrees on that."
With the sincerest hope that they can put their nation on a good footing for themselves and the world, I wish them well.
The word 'secular' has several different meanings. The ACLU has its notion of what that means, and it is the most extreme view possible. But to most Americans, and in Iraq, it should simply mean that the government doesn't rule by religious fiat, nor does it claim to represent a heavenly kingdom on earth. President Bush is more clear on his understanding of that than ever. It's too bad we all aren't.
What the MSM says about America being an enlightened country where laws are rational and justified by debate and not authoritarian religious viewpoints will be right on. They'll miss the part where they admit that secular humanism is also a religious view, however.
Last week during all the Inauguration hoopla, there were some interesting news stories about Iraqis in America driviing for HOURS just to register to vote here in this country.
Evidently they didn't set up places to register in every single city; it was very heartening to listen to them speaking; they were all very hopeful, saying that the people of Iraq had lived for this day for years.
It should put to shame everybody that carps about having to stand in the rain to vote.
IRAQ GOVT TO BE SECULAR - ANOTHER DEFEATIST FEAR DEBUNKED!
IRAQ ELECTION WILL BE A SUCCESS - PING!
Bush's fault!
Let Freedom Ring!
That strikes at what the radical Islamists fear most -- becoming irrelevant.
good news- bookmark and bump
So now the question is those Sunnies muslim !
Wow. You know FOX will really be covering their election day; and you also gotta know that, especially if there's kind of turnout, they are going to be focusing on that. (Of course the MSM will focus on how many people got killed by terrorists in their attempt to vote (prayers that this will NOT happen)).
No matter about the MSM regarding the numbers/turnout. See how many people turned to FOX for watching the inauguration over watching CNN and the other alphabet channels? (I don't remember offhand the percentage increase for FOX, but it was a very large number).
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