Cleric’s calls for withdrawal of support will go unheeded, expert says
CAIRO: Calls by Iraqi Sunni leader Sheikh Harith Al-Dhari for Egypt and the international community to end support for the Shiite-led government of Iraq will go unheeded by Arab states, according to Nabil Abdel-Fatah, an expert at Al-Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies.
Al-Dhari, secretary general of the Association of Muslim Scholars (AMS), warned that the level of violence in Iraq could escalate and spread throughout the region. “I call on the Arab states and the Arab League and the United Nations to stop this government and withdraw its support from it. Otherwise, the disaster will occur and the turmoil will happen in Iraq and other countries, he said in Cairo, on Saturday.
The Iraqi Interior Ministry has issued a warrant for Al-Dhari’s arrest, accusing him of inciting terrorism and sectarian violence. Al-Dhari is currently in Cairo meeting with officials.
Abdel-Fatah believes that Al-Dhari’s call will be ignored due to the geo-political realities of the region. “Al-Dhari is making these statements in an attempt to be the political voice of the Sunnis in Iraq, he told The Daily Star Egypt, “but his voice will be an empty one because his call comes at a time when Arab dealings with the Iraqi government are at a peak in an effort to alleviate sectarian strife in the country.
Abdel-Fatah added that Al-Dhari’s statements do not reflect the current political climate. He told The Daily Star Egypt, “Many Arab countries have organic ties with the United States, therefore they will not sever relations with the Iraqi government without US approval. In fact, Abdel-Fatah said, Arab nations must support the incumbent Iraqi government due to their close ties with the United States.
In any case, sectarian strife in Iraq will not end, according to Abdel-Fatah, because the country has become a vessel for regional and international interests just like Lebanon.
Al-Dhari had also stated that occupation forces and the Shiite government made conditions suitable for militias to attack Sunnis by imposing curfews, after which attacks on Sunnis would occur. However, Al-Dhari urged Iraqis not to react to this perceived provocation. Be patient and practice steadfastness and don t be lured into this sedition that aims to destroy [Iraq], he said, according to AP.
An official for the Arab League refused to comment on Al-Dhari’s latest statements.
Editor in chief of Al-Osboa newspaper Mustapha Bakry previously told The Daily Star Egypt that Al-Dhari, who is currently in Egypt but resides in Jordan, would not be handed back to Iraq by either country because of the warrant. He is in Egypt now and we will not hand him back, he can stay here or in any other Arab capital. He said he will return to Iraq when the time is right, Bakry said.
