THE triumphant return by Ayatollah Muhammad Baqr al-Hakim to Iraq after 23 years of exile encountered its first opposition yesterday when followers of his main rival disrupted his speech in the holy city of Najaf. The ayatollah abruptly ended an address in the golden-domed tomb of Imam Ali when 60 youths pushed through the crowd waving portraits of the martyred father of the young, ambitious Hojatoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr, chanting: âYes, yes to al-Sadr.â
| Wonder if Sadr's hard boys are going to try and run Hakim out of town? |
Ayatollah al-Hakim, 66, Hojatoleslam al-Sadr, 30, and Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Ali al-Sistani, 73, are vying for the spiritual and political leadership of Iraqâs majority Shia community and for control of the countryâs holy sites. Ayatollah al-Hakim arrived from Iran at the weekend and reached his final destination â Najaf, burial place of the Prophet Muhammadâs son-in-law and home of its religious authority, the hawza â yesterday. |