Baghdad tense, Iraqi leaders condemn shrine bombing

Iraq the Model reports on the situation in Baghdad after terrorists blew up a Shia holy site yesterday:

Ayatollah Sistani reacted quickly to the escalating anger by issuing a fatwa that forbids his followers from “Taking any action against Sunni sites” obviously to discourage his followers from carrying out retaliatory attacks on Sunni mosques.
Sistani has also demanded a 7 day mourning and to consider it a week off but the government so far has announced only a 3 day official mourning.

Muqtada cut his tour in Lebanon and is heading back to Baghdad, he called on his followers from Beirut to “have self-control and refrain from violence”.

Right now there’s heavy deployment for the police and other security forces with more frequent checkpoints that are stop-searching cars more often than they usually do.

Sporadic gunfire is heard in different spots in Baghdad but no one knows for sure if the firing meant clashes or mere angry shooting in the air.

There are bad guys and there are good guys, and in Iraq, it’s very confusing trying to figure out who is who. What is important to note is that Iraqi leaders both spiritual and politicial, are calling for calm and trying to minimize the violence and bloodshed. It will be important for authorities here to quickly determine whether these acts were perpetrated from outside Iraq as many suspect, and to deal with those involved harshly.

Iraq can’t heal if old wounds keep being ripped open. It’s easy to hate America, but America has nothing to do with this particular form of sectarian cancer. It has infected Iraq and the Middle East for generations and centuries.

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