Mukki places blame on USA for Golden Mosque and Turkish incursion

Shi’ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr issued a statement to a website of which he is affiliated, commenting on the bombing today, Wednesday, June 13, 2007, of the Al-Askariya Shrine, or Golden Mosque, a revered Shi’ite shrine in Samarra, Iraq, which destroyed two of its minarets. The site was also bombed in February 2006. Sadr declares that no Muslim, Shi’ite or Sunni could possible commit such an act, and aims his anger towards the “occupier”, claiming they continually metaphorically ignite fires within the Iraqi Muslim population, and places blame for the attack on the “hidden hand of the occupation which aims to harm us”. To the Iraqi people, Sadr calls for an observance of three days of mourning and demand that the enemy withdraw from Iraq; a demand which if not supported by the Iraqi government, renders the institution illegitimate.

Also, in another statement issued by Sadr three days prior, the Shi’ite cleric chastises Turkey for its shelling in northern Iraq, in the region referred to as Kurdistan. Sadr, at first, compliments Turkey as a “friendly neighbor” vis-à-vis its position against the United States in Iraq, then switches to disappointment with the country for the actions taken in Iraq. Citing the sovereignty of Iraq over that region and Turkey’s fault in attacking it, Sadr urges Turks to support Iraqis in denouncing the acts, and states: “The Kurdish people are a part that cannot be divided from Iraq, and our duty is to defend it and also the Turkish people are our friends. We respect its sovereignty in its land and to protect its security is also our duty and we are ready to solve the matter peacefully between all sides and that is for the benefit of not only the two people of the nations, but the entire region.”