Sunnis turn on al Qaeda's religious facilitators in Iraq

Bill Roggio:

Wednesday's closure of the headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars at the Umm al Quraa mosque marks a dramatic shift in the Sunni religious establishment. Prominent Sunni clerics, who once supported, justified, or remained silent about al Qaeda's terror tactics, have now turned on the leading Sunni religious establishment that supports al Qaeda in Iraq.

On November 14, Iraqi soldiers surrounded the headquarters of the Association of Muslim Scholars after Sheikh Ahmed Abdul Ghafour al Samarrai, the leader of the Sunni Religious Endowments, or Waqf, ordered the mosque's closure. "The association has always justified killing and assassinations carried out by al Qaeda," Samarrai said the day the troops shut down the Umm al Quraa mosque.

Samarrai's criticism of the Association of Muslim Scholars was pointed. He accused the Association of collusion with al Qaeda in Iraq and held the group responsible for the murder of Iraqi Sunni and Shia alike. Iraqslogger excerpted portions of Samarrai's statements, which were originally reported on Voices of Iraq in Arabic:

The Association of Muslim Scholars is still committed to the side of silence on the crimes of al Qaeda, while it kills tribal leaders and religious scholars … and sows sectarian divisions among the Iraqis. … The Iraqi people hold them responsible for these crimes.

[The Association of Muslim Scholars] denounces the successes of the Iraqi tribes and the sons of the Iraqi mosques and the resistance factions and their courageous stance against al Qaeda ... [which is a] clear provocation and wanton encouragement to the al Qaeda organization in their slaughter and killing.

If the AMSI had agreed with the Iraqis in their opposition to al Qaeda, and had had not been a party to splitting the unity of the Iraqi ranks, then we would not have closed it.

Al Qaeda announced that it kills the Sunni people who participate in the political process, and (kills) the Shi'a on the basis of their identity. We want the world to understand that we refuse al Qaeda's death sentence on the Iraqi people.

Samarrai also stated the Association of Muslim Scholars was responsible for boycotting the elections and held back Sunnis from entering the security forces. Samarrai said these decisions led to a "catastrophe" for Sunnis and the Iraqi people.

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There is much more. This is another example of how much change is taking place that is being ignored by the Democrats and the Editorial Bord of the NY Times. The change is huge, because the Iraqis are the ones invested in that change. This is also another example of how the Sunnis are making an investment in reconciliation and support for an Iraqi government.