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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Sunni Clerics: Iraqi Vote Illegitimate |
| 2005-02-02 |
| EFL (alternate headline: Majority of Iraqis: Sunni Clerics Illegitimate Iraq's leading Sunni Muslim clerics said Wednesday the landmark elections lack legitimacy because large numbers of Sunnis did not participate in the balloting — which the clerics had asked them to boycott. OK, I get it. If you take your marbles home, the other kids don't get to play either Emboldened by the elections, which U.S. and Iraqi authorities cited as a victory for democracy, the police chief in Mosul demanded the insurgents hand over weapons within two weeks or he would "wipe out" anyone giving them shelter.Now we're talkin' Large numbers of majority Shiite Muslims and Kurds took part in Sunday's election for a new National Assembly and regional parliaments. Although no results or turnout figures have been released, U.S. officials say turnout appeared much lower in Sunni areas where the insurgent (sic)is strongest. In its first statement since the balloting, the Association of Muslim Scholars said the balloting lacked legitimacy because of low Sunni participation. The Association called months ago on Sunnis to shun the polls because of the presence of U.S. and other foreign troops. Election that is only possible because of presence of US troops must be shunned because of presence of US troops -- the logic that brought you the world's most dysfunctional and dangerous societies Iraqi officials acknowledge voting problems, including a ballot shortage in Baghdad, Basra and Mosul which have substantial Sunni populations. Election boycott leading to ballot shortage? Huh? Perhaps the need to sneak ballots into polling places in some 'hoods, thanks to criminal violence tolerated/abetted by key Sunni community leaders, complicated distribution? With many Sunnis having stayed away, a ticket endorsed by the Shiite clergy is expected to gain the biggest number of seats in the 275-member National Assembly, followed by the Kurds and a list headed by interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite. Sunnis staying away -- the extent of which still isn't known -- wasn't needed for the Shi'ite lists to dominate -- duh In its statement, the Association said the election "lacks legitimacy because a large portion of these people who represent many spectra have boycotted it." As a result, the Association said the new leadership lacked a mandate to draft a new constitution and should be considered a temporary administration. These nitwits are almost as dim as western media and politicians -- it IS a "temporary administration," fuckwits -- try reading the Transitional Administrative Law under which the poll was held. Geez. "We make it clear to the United Nations and the international community that they should not get involved in granting this election legitimacy because such a move will open the gates of evil," the statement said. My early candidate for statement of the year. A bunch of moral accomplices to murder in Iraq calling on their peers -- "the United Nations and the international community" -- to deny the process legitimacy. These guys are a laugh riot. "We are going to respect the choice of those who voted and we will consider the new government — if all the parties participating in the political process agree on it — as a transitional government with limited powers." Whuh? After all the fulminations and idiocy, the white flag comes out? And once again, you morons, the process DOES call for consensus at every point, and it IS a transitional government -- lay off the al-Jazeera and BBC Arabic service and do your friggin' homework In Mosul, police Gen. Mohammed Ahmed al-Jubouri offered amnesty to insurgents who handed over their weapons within two weeks, but promised tough action if they did not. In an interview with the provincial television station, al-Jubouri threatened "to wipe out any village that would hide weapons after the two-week period and shell any safe haven for the insurgents." Long overdue, but welcome toughening of the approach. One hopes the mojo created by the election will be exploited quickly in this way across the country. The political pincer has prepared the battlefield for the military-police pincer to make some progress |
| Posted by:Verlaine in Iraq |
| #10 I believe Mr. al-Jubouri is a Kurd. The Turks are really going to get their knickers in a twist when Mosul becomes Kurd majority again. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2005-02-02 3:58:15 PM |
| #9 Sunni Clerics: Iraqi Vote Illegitimate Yawn. Didn't participate? Well, this is your result. Now phuque off. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2005-02-02 10:47:48 AM |
| #8 A bunch of moral accomplices to murder in Iraq That's not murder, Veraline; that's....um, something else. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-02-02 10:36:24 AM |
| #7 consequences and muslim in the same sentence? Riiiigghhtt |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-02-02 10:16:37 AM |
| #6 Thanks, Verlaine. Play nicely with your toys, now. ;-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-02-02 10:15:48 AM |
| #5 Is this "Association of Muslim Scholars" different from the one they constantly referred to a while back, the "influential Association of Muslim Scholars"? Maybe is AoMS is a splinter of the iAoMS, that is so obviously not influential, that they didn't think it was right that they keep the name. In the future, we can hope that they settle on the name "inconsequential Association of Muslim Scholars." |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-02-02 9:44:50 AM |
| #4 The Sunnis are having a little two-year-old's temper tantrum for almost two years now. It's counterproductive to their own interests. At this point I don't much care if the Shiites and Kurds beat the hell out of the Sunnis -- electorally, governmentally, or literally. A public hanging for Saddam might help too. The Sunnis need to be shoved over a tipping point into the new reality. |
| Posted by: Tom 2005-02-02 9:42:40 AM |
| #3 Why, other than humor value, would anyone pay any attention to what this group says? It is roughly equivalent to listening to any number of US academic organizations whose views are colored by craniorectal inversion. |
| Posted by: RWV 2005-02-02 9:17:55 AM |
| #2 Tough titty siad the kitty but the milks all gone. What they are saying is that if they can't cheat and start with a 10 run lead they are going to take their ball and go home. Only now they realized that 1) they did not bring a ball to the game and the other players wont 'give' it to them and 2) the game will go on without them. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2005-02-02 9:17:34 AM |
| #1 The propaganda mill churns..... |
| Posted by: 2b 2005-02-02 9:11:07 AM |