| Blame the Guilty |
8 September 2003
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Assassination of Ayatollah Hakim --Don't Blame US
Logic has never been a strong point among the religious hierarchy of any faith. A few rabbis, imams and the Jesuits have tried over the centuries to inject their beliefs with reason, but the results have been mixed at best. So, it was no surprise that, at the funeral of the murdered and martyred Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim, the senior cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani blamed the Americans for his compatriot's death. It was, however, disappointing that the Ayatollah could not swallow his anger long enough to use his head.
Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim was blown up on 29 August after Friday prayers. Regardless of one's religion or lack thereof, the murder of a respected religious leader right after services is abominable. That it happened during the US occupation is shameful. That Iraqis are upset is understandable. But that they blame the US is unpardonable.
They have not cooperated with the US and its allies, nor should one have expected them to do so (as the Bush White House did). But to the extent that there is an authority in Iraq, it is the Pentagon. Security flows from whatever authority exists, legitimate or not, but it rests on the people for acquiescence if not support.
The US did not kill Ayatollah Baqr al-Hakim, and indeed, the occupation becomes harder with his passing as he was not entirely opposed to a brief occupation in theory. America failed to protect him. Blaming the US is rather like blaming the New York Police Department for the killing of John Lennon -- the party at fault is the killer, not the cop.
An Iraqi civil war is beginning to take shape, and the Shi'ites appear split between those who are willing to let the west leave on its own and those who want to throw the west out. Blaming the US is silly; the bomber was a Shi'ite. And that for Iraqis of any variety is a much bigger problem.
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