Freezing the Mahdi Army… a prelude to militia dissolution? اصوات العراق - باحثون: تجميد جيش المهدي.. هل سيمهد لحل الميليشيات
باحثون: تجميد جيش المهدي.. هل سيمهد لحل الميليشيات
بغداد - اصوات العراق
اعتبر خبير استراتيجي عراقي ان قرار التجميد “المؤقت” لجيش المهدي يمثل لونا من أنصاف أو أرباع الحلول وهو ليس علاجا جذريا لمشكلة هذه الميليشيا، فيما رأى محلل سياسي ان المهم هو القدرة على التكهن حول ما إذا كان القرار سيؤدي الى “وقف نزيف الدم”، بينما شكك كاتب آخر في حجم سيطرة مقتدى الصدر على جيش المهدي.
وكان الزعيم الشيعي مقتدى الصدر اعلن، الاربعاء، في قرار مفاجئ، تجميد عمل ميليشيا جيش المهدي التي يتزعمها على خلفية الاحداث الدامية التي شهدتها مدينة كربلاء (100 كم جنوب بغداد) خلال الأيام الماضية، وتسببت في مقتل وإصابة العشرات من رجال الأمن والمدنيين من الزوار الذين كانوا توافدوا بمئات الآلاف من أغلب مدن ومحافظات العراق إلى المدينة لأداء مراسم ( الزيارة الشعبانية)، إحدى أهم المناسبات الدينية عند المسلمين الشيعة.
ورحبت الحكومة العراقية بقرار الصدر، ووصف موفق الربيعي مستشار الامن الوطني في حديث للصحافة التجميد بأن من “الاخبار الجيدة جدا”.
لكن الدكتور فالح عبد الجبار رئيس معهد الدراسات الاستراتيجية (دراسات عراقية) في بيروت، اعتبر ان قرار التجميد المؤقت لجيش المهدي يمثل “لونا من أنصاف أو أرباع الحلول” وهو ليس علاجا جذريا، إلا اذا كان التجميد خطوة باتجاه إلغاء الميليشيا نهائيا وحل جيش المهدي نهائيا.
وقال عبد الجبار في اتصال هاتفي مع الوكالة المستقلة للأنباء (أصوات العراق) “جيش المهدي ليس جيشا نظاميا كما ان الانتماء له طوعي، والناس لديهم أسلحة في بيوتهم… وفي كل مرة تطالبهم الحكومة بتسليم السلاح يقول قادة التيار ان هذه أسلحة شخصية.”
وتساءل “هل هو سلاح شخصي أم سلاح مؤسساتي؟”
وأردف قائلا “اذا كان سلاحا شخصيا فهذا يعني انه خاضع لمزاج افراد، ومعناه انهم سيستمرون في أفعالهم، ولا يمكن لأحد تجميدها، أما اذا كان خاضعا لمؤسسة واستمرت أعمال العنف رغم قرار التجميد، فهذا يعني ان المؤسسة ليست منضبطة.”
واعتبر فالح ان التجميد “يمثل لونا من أنصاف او أرباع الحلول، لعدم وجود ضمانات التزام بالقرار.” وقال “هناك عدة امور تؤدي الى عدم الالتزام، كالادعاء بالتعرض الى اعتداء يتطلب الرد، او وجود عناصر مندسة غير ملتزمة بالقرار، وبالتالي فإن من الممكن التراجع عن القرار بمبررات كثيرة.”
ولذلك “فالحل الأمثل هو حل المليشيات وليس تجميدها المؤقت… لننتظر ونرى.”
وأشار عبد الجبار الى ان المشكلة تكمن في ما اسماه “تداخلا بين العصابات الاجرامية والمليشيات” وقال “هذا أمر يحصل في كل المجتمعات بغض النظر عن نوايا القادة، فالأمر لا يتعلق بالنوايا بل يعمل الجماعات المسلحة.”
ونوه الى أن “حركة الصدر هي جزء من الحكومة، فإما ان تشارك في البناء او تخرج وتعلن عن نفسها كميليشيا.” وأضاف “وهذا الامر لا يشمل التيار الصدري فقط بل يشمل كل الاطياف المذهبية والعقائدية.”
وفي وقت سابق قال عمر عبد الستار القيادي في جبهة التوافق العراقية ان الجبهة ترحب بقرار التجميد مطالبا بأن يكون السلاح بيد الحكومة فقط “لأن بناء الدولة يمر عبر هذا الطريق.”
من جهته عد محلل سياسي عراقي تجميد جيش المهدي إيجابيا ومهما، لكنه قال ان الأهم هو القدرة على تقديم إجابة حيال السؤال التالي: هل سيؤدي قرار كهذا الى وقف نزيف الدم؟
وقال المحلل رافضا الكشف عن هويته “القرار ايجابي، لكن نتمنى ان يؤدي هذا القرار الى وقف نزيف الدم، هل يسعنا القول ان نزيف الدم سيتوقف الآن؟.”
وتابع “نحن نعرف ان جيش المهدي ليس كله منضبط، ولا تلتزم جميع فئاته بالاوامر الصادرة عن القيادة، فهناك جماعات مختلفة تنهب وتقتل.”
وكان المتحدث باسم الجيش الاميركي في العراق اللفتنانت كولونيل كريس غارفر رحب، الخميس، بقرار تجميد جيش المهدي لنشاطاته لكنه قال “ان بلاده تنتظر رؤية النتائج على الارض.”
وعن الاسباب التي دفعت بالسيد مقتدى الصدر الى اتخاذ هذه الخطوة ، قال المحلل السياسي “السبب المباشر هو ما حدث في كربلاء من تجاوزات وقتل عشوائي، والسبب العام هو انه في كثير من الاحيان تنسب اعمال القتل والخطف الى جيش المهدي، لكن المراجع المسؤولة عنه كانت تنفي ذلك وتتحدث عن عناصر مارقة.”
وبين المحلل السياسي ان قرار التجميد ولكونه عاما ويشمل كل الجيش فهو “يعني ان أي فئة لا تلتزم بالاوامر تكون مارقة عن جيش المهدي، مما يتيح للسلطات الحكومية إلقاء القبض عليها دون مخافة اعتراض من قادة التيار.”
لكن كاتبا وباحثا آخر شكك أصلا في مدى تحكم مقتدى الصدر بجيش المهدي.
وقال حيدر سعيد “اشك في خضوع جيش المهدي لسيطرة السيد مقتدى الصدر.”
وأوضح سعيد “هذا تنظيم معقد …من أناس متحمسين، وعقائديين تحكمهم سياسات متشددة.”
ولفت سعيد الى صعوبة التحكم بهذا الخليط، مبينا أن هناك “شكا في وجود هرم يتحكم بجيش المهدي ويحركه، او يهيمن على هذا التنظيم وهو خليط من شرائح عديدة، وجمهور معقد.”
وتساءل “هل يسيطر السيد الصدر على كل هؤلاء؟ ولا أقصد هنا ان كانت لديه النية لتطبيق قرار التجميد ام لا، ولكن هل هو قادر على تنفيذ القرار؟”
يذكر ان الزعيم الشاب مقتدى الصدر، كان قد اسس ميليشيا جيش المهدي بعد نيسان ابريل 2003 وتتكون غالبيته من شباب شيعة يتمركزون في مدينة الصدر (شرقي العاصمة بغداد) وفي المحافظات الوسطى والجنوبية، وخاض جيش المهدي، الذي يشدد قادته على انه جيش عقائدي وليس مليشيا، عدة معارك ضد القوات الامريكية في النجف وبغداد، كما يتعرض الى انتقادات واتهامات عدة من الجانب الامريكي وعدد من الاحزاب، بالقيام بعمليات قتل على الهوية وممارسات خطف وتعذيب.
س م (تق) – س ط
اصوات العراق - باحثون: تجميد جيش المهدي.. هل سيمهد لحل الميليشيات
Freezing the Mahdi Army… a prelude to militia dissolution?
Baghdad - Voices of Iraq*
Friday , 31 /08 /2007 Time 5:04:24
Baghdad, Aug 31, (VOI) – Some Iraqi strategic experts described the decision taken by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to freeze his Mahdi Army for six months as offering “half a solution” to the long-standing problem of armed groups in the country, while others have questioned al-Sadr’s ability to control his militias amidst a volatile atmosphere due to the unstable security situation in the war-torn country.
Al-Sadr announced on Wednesday the freeze of his Mahdi Army militia after recent bloody incidents in the holy city of Karbala, 100 km south of the Iraqi capital Baghdad, during the past few days.
The Iraqi government hailed al-Sadr’s decision and described the step as a “chance” for all militias in Iraq to follow suit.
Faleh Abdul Jabbar, the director of the Beirut-based Strategic Studies Institute, termed the decision as “half a solution” to the problem. “The Mahdi Army is not a regular army and recruitment is voluntary. People [members of the Mahdi Army] have arms at home. Every time the government urges them to hand over their arms, Sadrist leaders respond that they are personal arms,” Abdul Jabbar told the independent news agency Voices of Iraq (VOI) by phone.
According to him, “The optimal solution is to dissolve all militia groups, not to temporarily freeze them.” Arguing that al-Sadr Movement is part of the Iraqi government, Abdul Jabbar said that it should “either take part in the construction process or call itself a militia group.”
Omar Abdul Sattar, a leading member of the Sunni Iraqi Accordance Front (IAF) earlier announced his front’s support for al-Sadr’s decision and called on other armed groups to do likewise.
Considering the army’s freeze to be a positive and significant decision, an Iraqi political analyst who refused to have his name mentioned wondered, “Will the bloodshed stop now?”
“We know it is not a regular army and not all of its members abide by its leadership’s instructions…,” he noted.
When analyzing the reasons behind al-Sadr’s decision, he said, “The main reason was the Karbala incidents.” Iraqi officials had accused the Mahdi Army militias of involvement in the armed clashes with Iraqi security forces, which was flatly denied by Sadrist leaders.
Meanwhile, Haidar Said, a researcher and writer, questioned the Shiite leader’s ability to control his army. “I am having doubts about the Mahdi Army’s submission to Muqtada al-Sadr,” he said.
Scores of security men and civilians were killed or injured during the rituals of a Shiite pilgrimage called al-Ziyara al-Shaabaniya or the mid-Shaaban visit, to celebrate the birth anniversary of the Messiah-like Imam al-Mahdi, the 12th holiest figure for Shiite Muslims**.
Hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim visitors from inside and outside Iraq converged on the city in processions on foot to perform the rituals of the visit.
The Mahdi Army, otherwise known as the Mahdi Militia, is an Iraqi paramilitary force created by Iraqi Shiite leader al-Sadr in June 2003. The group rose to international prominence on April 4, 2004 when it spearheaded the first major armed confrontation against the U.S-led forces in Iraq from the Shiite community in an uprising that followed the banning of al-Sadr’s newspaper and attempts to arrest him, and lasted until June 6.
Editor’s notes:
* This is the English version of the article as posted by Aswat Al Iraq.
** This is not very accurate. What I think the writer means is that the majority of Shi’ite Muslims belong to what is called the “Twelver School” of Shia Islam in this school the 12th Imam is “Imam Al Mahdi” who will come at the end of the world to overthrow the rule of evil which will have been established by Djall. The Mahdi will be assisted in this by Isa ibn Maryam (Prophet Jesus (PBUH))
Omar
Indexed under: Aswat Al Iraq Features, Jaish al-Mahdi, Mahdi, Mahdi Army, Militia
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to “Freezing the Mahdi Army… a prelude to militia dissolution? اصوات العراق - باحثون: تجميد جيش المهدي.. هل سيمهد لحل الميليشيات”
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- Sep 2, 2007: Anti-Mahdi Army Drive Underway | Gorilla’s Guides
You danced your way through that linguistic and thelogogical minefield very prettily - we will make a clergyman of you yet :-)
I am still wiping the sweat from my brow. Why can you never find a Shi’ite when you want one? :-)
the “Twelver School” of Shia Islam in this school the 12th Imam is “Imam Al Mahdi” who will come at the end of the world to overthrow the rule of evil… The Mahdi will be assisted in this by Isa ibn Maryam (Prophet Jesus (PBUH))
How interesting. Is this common knowlege that the Twelver School believes the Mahdi will be assisted by Jesus? Beneath all the cloaks of religion lives the same man.
Oh yes it is very well known. It is the belief amongst the overwhelming majority of Muslims that the Mahdi will establish the perfect rule of justice and peace in the world before the day of judgement and that he will be assisted in this by Prophet Jesus (PBUH). There is disagreement about the nature of the Mahdi (it comes from the root word meaning to guide) and the minefield to which Maryam is referring is the one of the controversy between the Shia and the Sunni schools of thought and jurisprudence.
The Mahdi will be assisted by Prophet Jesus (PBUH). If you dig into this you will find that the scholarly consensus amongst all Muslims is that Muslims are required to believe in the Gospel (Injeel) that God revealed to His Prophet Jesus the Messiah as we are required to believe in all the Prophets (PBUT).
My colleague Mohammed the son of the late Laith the Imam is engaged in a dialogue with an American Christian priest - that dialogue is conducted in private and I have no access to it but he set out in public the basics of the Muslim teachings on Prophet Jesus which I copy and paste below in case you are interested:
Prophet Isa
1. Do I as a Muslim believe he was a Messenger of One God?
YES
Belief in all of the Prophets and Messengers of God is a central article of faith in Islam. Therefore, believing in the Prophets Adam, Jesus, Moses, and Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them) is a requirement for all who calls themselfs Muslims.
A person claiming to be a Muslim who denies the Messengership of Jesus, is not considered a Muslim.
The Holy Holy Qur’an says in reference to the status of Jesus as a Messenger of God:
“The Messiah (Jesus), son of Mary, was no more than a Messenger before whom many Messengers have passed away; and his mother adhered wholly to truthfulness, and they both ate food (as other mortals do). See how We make Our signs clear to them; and see where they are turning away!” (Holy Qur’an 5:75).
Yes we call Prophet Isa the Messiah and in the end days he will reappear with The Mahdi and help The Mahdi establish God’s reign on earth.
2. Do I as a Muslim believe Prophet Isa (PBUH) was born of a Virgin Mother?
YES
Mary, or Maryam as she is called in Arabic, was a chaste, virgin woman, who miraculously gave birth to Jesus.
“Relate in the Book the story of Mary, when she withdrew from her family, to a place in the East. She screened herself from them; then We sent to her Our spirit (angel Gabriel) and he appeared before her as a man in all respects. She said: I seek refuge from you in God Most Gracious (come not near) if you do fear God. He said: Nay, I am only a Messenger from your Lord, to announce to you the gift of a pure son. She said: How shall I have a son, when no man has ever touched me, and I am not unchaste? He said: So it will be, your Lord says: ‘That is easy for Me; and We wish to appoint him as a sign unto men and a Mercy from Us’: It was a matter so decreed” (Holy Qur’an 19:16-21).
3. Do I as a Muslim believe Prophet Isa (PBUH) had a miraculous birth?
YES
The Holy Qur’an says:
“She (Mary) said: ‘O my Lord! How shall I have a son when no man has touched me.’ He (God) said: ‘So (it will be) for God creates what He wills. When He has decreed something, He says to it only: ‘Be!’- and it is” (3:47).
You should also note that the Holy Holy Qur’an says this:
“Verily, the likeness of Jesus in God’s Sight is the likeness of Adam. He (God) created him from dust, then (He) said to him: ‘Be!’-and he was” (Holy Qur’an 3:59).
4. Do I as a Muslim believe Jesus spoke in the cradle?
YES
“Then she (Mary) pointed to him. They said: ‘How can we talk to one who is a child in the cradle?’ He (Jesus) said: ‘Verily! I am a slave of God, He has given me the Scripture and made me a Prophet; ” (19:29-30).
5. Do I as a Muslim believe that Prophet Isa (PBUH) performed miracles?
YES
These miracles however were performed by the will and permission of God, Who has power and control over all things.
“Then will God say: ‘O Jesus the son of Mary! recount My favor to you and to your mother. Behold! I strengthened you with the Holy Spirit (the angel Gabriel) so that you did speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught you the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel. And behold: you make out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and you breathe into it, and it becomes a bird by My leave, and you heal those born blind, and the lepers by My leave. And behold! you bring forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the children of Israel from (violence to you) when you did show them the Clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic’ (5:110).
6. Do I as a Muslim believe in the Trinity?
NO
As a Muslim I believe in the Absolute Oneness of God. God has no partners in His Divinity. He is the Creator of everything and is completely separate from His creation.
God says in the Holy Qur’an regarding the Trinity:
“People of the Book (Jews and Christians)! Do not exceed the limits in your religion, and attribute to God nothing except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was only a Messenger of God, and His command that He conveyed unto Mary, and a spirit from Him. So believe in God and in His Messengers, and do not say: ‘God is a Trinity.’ Give up this assertion; it would be better for you. God is indeed just One God. Far be it from His glory that He should have a son. To Him belongs all that is in the heavens and in the earth. God is sufficient for a guardian” (Holy Qur’an 4:171).
7. Do I as a Muslim believe that Jesus was the son of God?
NO
“Say: “God is Unique! God, the Source [of everything]. He has not fathered anyone nor was He fathered, and there is nothing comparable to Him!” (Holy Qur’an 112:1-4).
In The Holy Qur’an God also states:
“Such was Jesus, the son of Mary; it is a statement of truth, about which they vainly dispute. It is not befitting to the majesty of God, that He should beget a son. Glory be to Him! When He determines a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be’ and it is” (Holy Qur’an 19:34-35).
8. Do I as a Muslim believe Prophet Isa (Jesus) (PBUH) was killed on the cross then resurrected?
NO
“They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but they thought they did.” (Holy Qur’an 4:156)
“God lifted him up to His presence. God is Almighty, All-Wise” (Holy Qur’an 4:157) .
Thank you Omar for an extremely informative reply. It just adds to the saddness of what the people of Irak are experiencing to know that the basic tenets of the religions are so close together. Do not believe for a minute that the architects of the nightmare are true Christians, no matter what they contend. The basis of Christianity, at least to my mind, is “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” The people in power in the United States (and not just George W. Bush but all the “grey” men of the corporations and government) don’t follow this rule. They use Christianity only as a tool to obtain wealth and power.
Peace to you Dr. C we know - many of us have friends who are followers of the Prophet Jesus (PBUH). Those who pretend to be his followers as you say stand for everything against the message of Prophet Isa Ibn Maryam’s message. They stand for hatred and war where he stood for love and mercy. Where he was devoted to God and stood up for renouncing the world they stand only for greed and exploiting the world and exploiting their power. They are followers of Djall and not of Prophet Isa (PBUH). They would do to the American people and to all peoples what they are doing to us when they feel they have enough to gain by it.