Editorial note: Picking up again with personal correspondence regarding Iraq, I allow the readership to take a step back to the time when the British installed Faisal, son of Sharif Hussain of Mecca, as the king of Iraq. Pick up the thread of thought with me today and afterward we will take a step back to look at issues from the seventh century.
Correspondence:
The Ayatollahs, as has been their wont through the centuries, retreated to their seminaries in Najaf where they continued their policy of non-cooperating, but also not raising their heads too much above the parapet. The massive influence they exerted over the Shi'a did not diminish. In fact the injustice felt by the Shi'a meant that the influence grew in strength. The seminaries now became the focus of quiet resistance by the Shi'a and the Ayatollahs became the leaders of a silent revolution. Iraq meanwhile descended into a succession of blood coups under one guise or another until eventually the machiavellian a.k.a. Saddam Hussein took power.
Saddam, as has been the trait of absolute dictators and tyrants through history, wanted nothing less than complete, 100% control over the lives of every single citizen of his country, and he desperately wished to be seen as the benevolent and much loved father of a resurgent Arab nation. Unfortunately, he made some of the same mistakes as the Ummayads, the Abbasids, the Otthomans, the British, King Faisal and the assorted dictators that had preceded his rule. He totally underestimated the power of the ayatollahs and the unquestioning loyalty of the Shi'a toward them. Whilst he was able to bring almost everyone to heel through sheer brutality and unbridled tyranny, he somehow could not totally kill off the love and affection of the shi'a toward their clergy. Saddam could not stand the sight of the seeing poor Shi'a peasants kissing the hand of the Grand Marj'a.... Hundreds of clergy were executed, imprisoned or sent into exile.... Saddam ordered the killing of the Grand MArj'a Syed Baqir al Sadr, accusing him of being an Iranian spy. He did not stop at that. He ordered his sister, Sayyada Binte Huda be killed as well. When asked why, he said, "I will not make the same mistake as Yazeed." He then tried to impose his own man as Grand Ayatollah, "appointing" Syed Sadiq al Sadr (cousin of Syed Baqir al Sadr and father of Muqteda) as a challenge to the then Grand Ayatollah Syed Abulqasem al Khoei. Sadly the plan did not work. In the grand tradition of the Shi'a clergy, Syed Sadiq al Sadr declared himself to be totally independent of Saddam and ordered the imposition of Shari'a law in all of the Shi'a towns and villages. Saddam had him executed as well.
An "entente cordial" of sorts existed between the clergy and Saddam, for awhile, but this did not stop him from putting a ban on all Shi'a religious ceremonies, taking control of the religious shrines and holy places and placing all seminaries under government control. He also had the Grand Ayatollah al Khoei and his deputy Syed Ali al Sistani put under house arrest. Syed Abul Qassem al Khoei made it clear to Saddam that whilst he had no intention of seeking a confrontation, because as he said in one of his speeches, enough Shi'a blood had been shed already, he was never going to endorse his rule either.
This riled Saddam more then anything else. Despite all the power and glory at his disposal, he could not swallow the fact that old men in Najaf could so openly challenge his authority. A good example came from the Iran-Iraq war. Saddam desperately wanted al Khoei to declare his support for the war. Al Khoei flatly refused. Although the overwhelming majority of foot soldiers in the Iraq army were Shi'a (most were forceably conscripted), Al Khoei was not going to give Saddam the satisfaction of acquiescense, even if the situation demanded national unity.
The Sayyed and his family suffered massively as a result. Family members were executed or imprisoned. Water and electricity to his house was cut off. His bank accounts were frozen and all access to financial help was denied. The most senior leader in the Shi'a hierarchy, the equivilent of a pope or an archbishop of Canterbury, was made to live a life of penury. Local Shi'a tribes had to bribe his guards to have food smuggled into his house. Then came the Shi'a rebellion following the first gulf war. The Shi'a, for the first time since the Najaf rebellion of 1920, saw yet another opportunity to break free of Saddan's tyranny. Al Khoei nailed his colours firmly to the rebel's mast. The rebellion was a failure. Saddam's army and his security apparatus wreaked vengeance on the Shi'a with their unmitigated fury. Three of Al Khoei's sons managed to escape to Iran and then made their way to the UK. The rest of his family was trapped. Saddam's orders were to make the Sayyad suffer but not to kill him. Al Khoei was made to watch as the remaining member of his large and extended family were first tortured and then executed one at a time. Al Khoei was then made to walk over their dead bodies, put in a helicopter and then brought for a personal meeting with Saddam.
The meeting was broadcast live on Iraqi TV to further humiliate the Sayyad. Saddam is seen mockingly asking the Sayyad how he is feeling? The Sayyad is seen answering back in a weak but very clear voice, "I am alive but would much rather be dead." The broadcast was cut short after the Sayyad proceeded to read verses from the Qur'an. Even in that ultimate moment of defeat, the Sayyad remained unbowed. The moment perfectly encapsulated the Shi'a philosophy of the "wilayat al Fiqh", the rule of the jurisprudent.
Sayyad Al Khoei died a year later, of natural causes. Saddam ordered him buried in the darkness of night with just three relatives present. News of his death spread like wildfire. A curfew was imposed in Najaf, Karbala and surrounding ares. No one quite knows what happened, but it is alleged that hundreds of people were shot dead trying to enter the city of Najaf and pay their homage to the dead Sayyad.
