Juan Cole

Demonstration Tuesday in Karbala AP reports that a demonstration was held by followers of Muqtada al-Sadr in Karbala on Tuesday to protest the closing of the al-Mukhayyam Mosque and the arrest of numerous followers of Muqtada there. On Wednesday the Shiite party, al-Da`wa, issued a statement condemning the recent violence in Karbala and urging that […]

Zogby Criticizes Cheney Use of Zogby Poll The Zogby polling group did a sounding in Iraq last month, some results of which were trumpeted by US Vice President Dick Cheney in an interview, in which he alleged that most Iraqis supported a US style government. The true percentage who took that position? 23%. Zogby complains […]

Dozens Demonstrate in Baghdad against Desecration of Koran It started with a minor incident. A female employee going into the Ministry of Petroleum had to subject to a daily search of her purse. But the US troops guarding the building on Tuesday wanted more, they wanted her to let trained police dogs sniff her purse. […]

Evangelicals in Congress seek to Shape Iraqi Constitution Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va. have inserted provisions into the legislation that would authorize $87 bn. for Iraq, according to Knight Ridder. The legislation instructs the Coalition Provisional Authority to work to ensure that the new Iraqi constitution protects freedom of religion, especially […]

IGC moves Against Sadr Militia in Karbala The Interim Governing Council sent Iraqi police into the al-Mukayam mosque in the holy city of Karbala Tuesday to arrest armed militiamen loyal to Muqtada al-Sadr. They were assisted by US troops, but it was good that the main steps were taken by Iraqis. Interior Minister Nuri al-Badran […]

Human Rights Watch: US killings of Civilians are not Investigated Human Rights Watch maintains that US troops have killed over a hundred Iraqi civlians over the past few months, but that the US military has investigated none of these killings. Meanwhile, in Falluja a family is alleging that US troops executed a family member while […]

Authority of Sistani versus Muqtada al-Sadr in Iraq Alex Berenson argues in the NYT that Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani has much wider support among Iraqi Shiites than Muqtada al-Sadr, and that the latter has actually lost some enthusiasts through a set of recent missteps, including proclaiming a shadow government and trying to take over shrines […]

Armed Sadrists take Back their HQ near Basra Shaikh Murtada al-Hajjaj, the assistant head of the office of Muqtada al-Sadr in Basra, said that 100 Sadrist militiamen succeeded in taking back control of their headquarters in Shatt al-Arab, 3 kilometers south of Basra, from the Iraqi police and British troops that had occupied it last […]

IGC hopes new Finances will Grant more Autonomy from US Some of the reasons for which the US did not initially want a separate fund for UN monies in Iraq may be apparent in an AFP story on the Interim Governing Council wanting more authority than Paul Bremer is willing to grant it. It seems […]