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The Grand Ayatollah Behind the Curtain

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani regards himself as too good to meet with those who freed him.
- By Colbert I. King

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Oursoldiers are dying for nothing. Let these people kill themselves if thats what they want in fact, Al Quaida doesnt even need to be in Iraq anymore because because the Iraqis religious factions are killing each other for them, so why are we there? Stay the course, thats all weve heard and thats all we will ever hear. Send the Bush twins, its an important cause according to bush, and well - his kids need to be part of the sacrifice he expects the rest of us to make from our families. He does nothing but isolates our country from all the good will we used to have. He needs to have his power taken from him for bowing to this religious icon, Sistani. The take the blood of our soldiers, demand we help them more, and you can bet your ass that bush and cheney are making the big bucks off of this. They will leave office and live in luxury buffeted from the rest of us by millions of dollars while the rest of us mourn our dead and maimed. I hate those m***** f*****s. And their cardboard wives. Lets water board them, its ok right? Now we are the country that tortures people. I tell people now that I am Canadian, that is how embarassed I am when I travel. Have you traveled. People all over the world think we are arrogant pricks, and they are right. What has happened to our beautiful country. Linda Louis, California which we were a separate country

By lndlouis | Oct 28, 2006 10:40:46 AM | Request Removal

Your President started an illegal war [by international law, to which your government is signatory]. Thereafter your armed forces/Pro consul broke many international laws, to which your government is also signatory. Considering then in the process of freeing Sistani your armed forces destroyed the infrastructure of Iraq, failed to maintain order, rewrote the laws, caused approx 650 000 premature deaths and before that with your no fly Zone and sanctions helped approximately 500 000 Iraqis to meet premature deaths is it any wonder that the religious leader of Iraq has no ambition to see your politicians? Now without doubt the USA has some Muslim Citizens who would be capable of meeting Sistani and presenting the views, ideas of the USA Government, and recoding the reply, transmitting same to the USA, and getting new instructions so there can be slow, but steady methodical exchange of ideas. If the USA Government does not have such an individual, than what did it do in the last 50 years, since its involvement in Arab Affairs [from the war of Suez on]. But I would suggest it is not Ayatollah Sistanis fault. Your Government does not talk to anyone but friends [if at that]. So from the above you can deduce that the USA went to war in Iraq for the sole reason of trying to control the areas oil supplies. And now that it lost the war [political/economic reality, not the question of military might] it is floundering like a fish out of water. The media is trying to come up with spin, to lower the cost of admittance that the wart is lost.

By yeolds | Oct 28, 2006 12:51:54 PM | Request Removal

CONCERNING GRAND AYATOLLAH AL-SISTANI OF IRAQ you wrote, [His whole purpose is to promote Shiite theology and keep Iraq as a democratic, but decidedly Islamic, state.] Now, what could be wrong with that? Mr. Sistani is an muslim IRAQI Leader. Iraq is an ISLAMIC country and will always remain so no matter how many Zip Code labels we paste on the gates of the Green Zone compound in Baghdad. At heart, America is good nation with very kind people but our leaders/policy makers/columnists are often lazy and arrogant. That arrogace is rooted in pathetic ignorance of the nationalism, and pride that citizens of other nations take in their own ethnic/cultural ID. For example, a U.S. cocaine junkie who claims to dispise this country will still have no difficulty bearing arms to defend the U.S. homeland against foreign invasion. That love of nation is NOT to Americans. So I aske again, what could possibly be wrong with an Iraqi Islamic leader wanting his country to remain DEMOCRATIC but Islamic? I am a supporter of our troops and I honer their sacrifices in Iraq. However, we need to get off our high-horse arrongance that the only measure of Iraq or other nationZ democracy is whether or not they are democratic-clones of Kansas or Arkansas. That is pipe dream. Even here at home each of our 50 States is almost 50 different mini-nations with different electoral code, educational policies, marriage laws, etc. How can we even fault the democracy of Iraq when, in 2006, Mississippi and South Carolina are still officially flying the U.S.-Nazi confederate flags in one form or another?

By 135ABC | Oct 28, 2006 1:20:07 PM | Request Removal

CONCERNING GRAND AYATOLLAH AL-SISTANI OF IRAQ you wrote, [His whole purpose is to promote Shiite theology and keep Iraq as a democratic, but decidedly Islamic, state.] Now, what could be wrong with that? Mr. Sistani is an muslim IRAQI Leader. Iraq is an ISLAMIC country and will always remain so no matter how many Zip Code labels we paste on the gates of the Green Zone compound in Baghdad. At heart, America is good nation with very kind people but our leaders/policy makers/columnists are often lazy and arrogant. That arrogace is rooted in pathetic ignorance of the nationalism, and pride that citizens of other nations take in their own ethnic/cultural ID. For example, a U.S. cocaine junkie who claims to dispise this country will still have no difficulty bearing arms to defend the U.S. homeland against foreign invasion. That love of nation is NOT EXLUSIVE to Americans. So I aske again, what could possibly be wrong with an Iraqi Islamic leader wanting his country to remain DEMOCRATIC but Islamic? I am a supporter of our troops and I honer their sacrifices in Iraq. However, we need to get off our high-horse arrongance that the only measure of Iraq or other nationZ democracy is whether or not they are democratic-clones of Kansas or Arkansas. That is pipe dream. Even here at home each of our 50 States is almost 50 different mini-nations with different electoral code, educational policies, marriage laws, etc. How can we even fault the democracy of Iraq when, in 2006, Mississippi and South Carolina are still officially flying the U.S.-Nazi confederate flags in one form or another?

By 135ABC | Oct 28, 2006 1:23:01 PM | Request Removal

Dear Mr. King: After a long article you offered no answer and that is exactly the American problem - lack of a proper understanding of what is going on in the Middle East. Ill tell you Sir what is the simple answer. There is nothing mysterious about it. Although he suffered under the Baathist regime which was both Shia and Sunni, the religious identities were not so sharp before the American invasion. These people have lived together all the time. The intermarriage rate before the American occupation of Iraq stood at 30. Saddam did not persecute Mr. Sastani because he was Shiat, but because he was a fundamentalist. If you take into account all these factors the answer becomes simple. He did not and will not meet American diplomats because this contradicts his beliefs, preaching and credentials. How shall he maintain his credibility among his followers while shaking the hands of the Americans who killed so many of his people and destroyed his country, even if by product of that, he enjoys now a more prominent role in Iraqi politics. The cynicism of power so widespread in Western politics seems not to have reached him yet. It might be preferable, to put aside the indefensible self-righteous position and tell your people something that could help them understand the complexities of the current world. Sincerely

By as33074 | Oct 28, 2006 2:24:44 PM | Request Removal

As an American married into an Iranian Shia family and who lived in Tehran for ten years, I am surprised that a newspaper like the Washington Post, to which I have always looked for more reasoned and balanced reporting, would print an editorial such as this without checking with someone more knowledgable about Islamic culture. In fact, from within that tradition, there is nothing unusual or particularly extreme about Sistanis positions on forms of entertainment or hand shaking between the sexes. My mother-in-law, who is a wonderful, sweet, and very enlightened woman, would never think of shaking hands with a man she is unrelated to. No more than I would feel comfortable kissing a Russian man on the mouth, as I have heard is the custom in some areas. As for his not having met directly with American officials, in his position, it would be surprising if he were to do so, not because they are infidels, but because he would then be limiting his options and weakening his position of leadership, considering the present unpopularity of the Bush administration among his followers. Im no particular fan of Sistani, still less of conservative Islamic rules, but I think that such over-simplified characterizations in a major newspaper such as yours only serve to further polarize the situation and do nothing to increase understanding.

By hollyjavadi | Oct 28, 2006 2:28:31 PM | Request Removal

how very true the picture the author so well describes an Iraqi i am shocked to see that the Bush adminstration is fully supporting Al-maliky and his extreme Islamists who are following Al-sistani teachings of orthodox Islam.we have gone so deep in backwardness that Iraq is a country where music,all kind of entertainments ,sport,football,novels ,films are taboos.Women can no longer go out side their homes and when they do they are completely veiled it is worse than Taliban regime.What kind of freedom and progress Bush is offering .After three years of the rule of Islamist GANGSso called parties we are back in the medieval nineteenth century do not dare to criticize any action or policy never mind objecting to the murderous policies being executed by the state apparatus ,death is around any body not in line.The Bush administration is fooling every body ,the regime in Iraq is worse than the Iranian it is very much Taliban style.Please do not say democracy, the elected persons to parliament are non entities mostly nominated by either sistany advisers or other Mullahs.So we do have the most reactionary religious regime but it is called democratic.Most Iraqi professionals, educated and intellectuals were either liquidated or immigrated.In Iraq of Bush ignorance,stupididity and all kind of corruption is abliss.American and Iraqi sacrifices is worthless since the religious war lords Al-Hakemm,Moqtada ,Al-dulami ,Al-dahari and other iranian supported Mullah have the Upper hand in every thing in the contry.Iraqi secular ,enlightened and democrats are persecuted on all levels in every city.Is this what American and Iraqis wanted. The Islamic Militias of all shades are the real power and they are running the country either directly or indirect under official headings and names.

By zuhairhussain | Oct 28, 2006 4:31:57 PM | Request Removal

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