AN-NAJAF,
Iraq, October 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Hundreds of
Iraqis took to the streets of this Shiite holy city Saturday, October
11, in support for a shadow cabinet formed a day earlier by anti-U.S.
firebrand Shiite leader Moqtada al-Sadr.
Delivering
Friday sermon, Sadr asked his followers to demonstrate peacefully if
they agreed to his self-declared government, which includes several
ministries, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"I
have decided and I have formed a government made up of several
ministries, including ministries of justice, finance, information,
interior, foreign affairs, endowments and the promotion of virtue and
prevention of vice," Sadr told Shiite worshipers.
"If
you agree, I ask you to demonstrate peacefully in order to express your
support," the young leader added.
Demonstrators
gathered Saturday in front of Sadr's office on a narrow street next to
Imam Ali shrine in central An-Najaf, an AFP correspondent reported.
"We
are ready to sacrifice our souls for you, Sadr," they chanted as
they roamed the streets of the city, 180 kilometers (110 miles) south of
Baghdad.
Sadr,
who heads the thousands-strong Mehdi Army, was ignored by the U.S.-led
occupation authority while forming the interim Governing Council, said
AFP.
Anti-U.S.
Demo
 |
|
Shiites
carry the coffin of one of the two Iraqis killed in shootout with
U.S. forces
|
Meanwhile,
anti-U.S. fervor surged in the Iraqi capital after thousands of Shiites
staged an angry funeral following clashes in Sadr City.
Two
Iraqis were killed
in a shootout with U.S. troops in the city, which is home for 2.5
million Shiites.
The
troubles started hours after a car bomb at a police station claimed
Thursday, October 9, the lives of nine people, including a bomber
and three police officers.
Chanting
"No to America," more than 10,000 Shiites, many armed, marched
alongside the coffins of the two men killed in the shooting.
They
raised their fists, roaring: "There is no God but Allah. America is
the enemy of Allah". Relatives then took the bodies to An-Najaf.
Many
among the crowd wore the black or green headbands of Mahdi Army.
"It
is forbidden for the Americans to enter Sadr City. They
intimidate and incite the people," Sheikh Abdul Haji al-Darraji
said during outdoor prayers before the procession.
One
man wearing a funeral shroud to symbolize his readiness to sacrifice his
life called on the crowd to "salute the martyrs."
"Yes
to the martyrs, no to America," the crowd chanted.
Darraji
denounced the "the criminal silence of the Governing Council in the
face of the violence."
He
also called U.S. forces a threat to the Muslim and Arab worlds and urged
people to rise up against them.
"How
long will you be silent? Americans threaten Syria. They are threatening
Iran. In the future, they will threaten more Arabs," Darraji said.
