## 25

## THEY ARE A GROUP THAT “LIVES
IN THE MIDDLE AGES”

March 2, 2004

> Following a string of assassinations in Iraq, as well as several particularly violent suicide bombings in Baghdad and the holy city of Karbala earlier the same day, Nasrallah tells a huge crowd of worshippers gathered in the Southern Suburb for Ashoura1 that, while the CIA and Mossad may be behind the violence, it may also be that “a fanatic and extremist group that lives in the Middle Ages and has no brain, no heart, no religion, no morality and yet claims to be Muslim, is responsible for these incidents.” In that case, Nasrallah warns, “then this would be the gravest danger of all, and a calamity with which the whole nation has to come to grips.” His words would be painfully borne out in the coming years, as Sunni–Shia violence in Iraq would soon spiral out of control, leading to the deaths and displacement of tens of thousands of Iraqis of both confessions.

I wanted to seize the opportunity, and use the short time available, to address the issue of the Greater Middle East Initiative,2 which all the Arabs have rejected during various recent meetings, each for his own reasons.

I would have liked to address some regional issues, domestic matters, and Palestine—I never forget Palestine—but unfortunately a significant and ominous incident, which I cannot ignore, has taken place in the meantime. We need to give this incident some attention, because it is bound to have considerable and dangerous repercussions for the Muslims, the nation, Muslim scholars, and loyal visitors, and place them in front of big and grave responsibilities.

I regret to have to inform you that, this morning, a series of bombings took place during the commemoration of Abi Abdullah al-Hussein, may God’s blessings be upon him, in Karbala and the al-Kazimiya Holy Sanctuary in Baghdad,3 resulting in the martyrdom of dozens of people and injuring hundreds more. These events place the entire nation in front of great and dangerous responsibilities, and above all pose a grave challenge to [Iraq’s] people, leaders, and religious scholars.

We do not need to analyze these events exhaustively to arrive at the conclusion that, no matter who the perpetrators are or whose hand has committed these crimes, the main objective behind them is to sow sedition among the Muslims. They will now tell the Shiites, as some already have, that it was the Sunnis who did these things, because they reject you, do not recognize you, and do not want you to celebrate your feasts in freedom and peace. They will tell you that the Sunnis enjoy spilling your blood and killing your men, women, and children, and that neither your lives, your blood, your sanctities, what you hold most sacred, your religious rites, nor your personal affairs will ever be completely safe as far as they are concerned. They will keep telling you this, as they indeed already are, until your blood boils in your veins and cries of revenge are heard. At this point, emotions will overcome intellect, feelings will overcome awareness, and we will fall into the trap and step on the landmine that our enemies and the enemies of our nation have placed in our path.

There are those who insist on carrying out this plan to the bitter end, and who will not be satisfied with what they have already done in Najaf—namely the assassination, [after] Friday [prayers], of the great martyr Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammad Baqer al-Hakim,4 and dozens of other worshippers near where the Prince of the Faithful lies.5 Others insist on killing people indiscriminately in the streets of Baghdad, Alexandria, Hilla, Najaf, Karbala, Falluja, Kirkuk, and other Kurdish, Sunni, and Shiite areas. We have to remain calm and absorb the shock; their objective is clear for all to see: it is to sow pure sedition, of which the primary beneficiary in Iraq is the American administration, which still pursues its policy of imposing total control over Iraq’s oil, potential, and resources. At the same time, it is true that that Iraq’s borders are open, and that anyone can enter the country and do whatever he wants. I can tell you, however, that the most powerful among them, those that succeeded in smuggling cadres, generals, and money, and in establishing networks into Iraq, are the Israelis and the Israeli Mossad. Israel is thus the ultimate and primary beneficiary. Sedition among the Muslims poses a strategic danger to the Palestinian intifada, to the resistance in Lebanon, and for all areas of strength and rejection throughout this nation. Sedition among Muslims means the loss of everything (…)

We know that the resistance in Lebanon comprised several parties, and each has its own leadership, even under occupation, as does the resistance in Palestine. Some of these fighters are already dead and buried, and some are in jail, while others move constantly from house to house because they are under threat of assassination on any given day, whether they are the leaders of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigade, or any other group. Who are those heroes who explode themselves and kill indiscriminately in Iraq? Who are their leaders? Which groups does the movement comprise? How do they think, and what are their objectives? They should address this nation, and try to convince it that their plans and ideology are sound. Why are they hiding? This is a very important question, which needs to be addressed these days, and the nation should come up with an answer.

Does it make sense for what is currently taking place in Iraq to continue unabated? In the past few weeks Iraqi civilians have been the target of assassinations: 50 killed in Baghdad, 50 in Alexandria, 27 in Falluja, and a few days ago, tens were killed and hundreds wounded in Irbil. We need to know the answer. At the commemoration for Sayyed al-Hakim, I said, and will say again today, that if it turns out that the Israeli Mossad is behind all this, and is being supported by the CIA, the American intelligence agency, it will somewhat console us. If, on the other hand, a fanatic and extremist group that lives in the Middle Ages6 and has no brain, no heart, no religion, no morality, and yet claims to be Muslim, is responsible for these incidents, then this would be the gravest danger of all, and a calamity with which the whole nation has to come to grips.

With Shiites dying on the very same day that we commemorate Sayyed al-Hakim, all Sunnis should express their rejection and condemnation of these acts; equally, when Sunnis die in this way, Shiites must express their rejection and condemnation. This is because when Shiites are killed, someone will come and tell them “Your killers are Sunnis”; and when Sunnis are killed, someone will tell them “your killers are Shiites.” So, my dear compatriots, my dear kinfolk in Iraq, you who have been so wronged and suffer terribly, we call upon you to show wisdom, and move beyond this crisis and these seditious acts. Do not allow the Zionists, the Americans, or those fanatic murderers to push this nation to the brink. I assure you that all fanatics have no religion other than killing and bloodletting, and are people that everyone, the Sunnis before the Shiites, rejects.

In Iraq today, there are both tribes and families who are half-Sunni and half-Shiite. Iraq has never known sectarian strife of the kind we are witnessing today, and if such mindsets are behind these bombings, we must confront them, and it is everybody’s responsibility to do so. Such mindsets are not only a danger to the Sunnis, the Shiites, and the entire country, but are also bound to keep the American occupation in place. They will soon become the only guarantor of peace and security in the country, by gradually convincing the people that without the American troops there would be no security, peace of mind, or stability in Iraq.

If, on the other hand, it is revealed that those who carried out the bombings in al-Kazimiya are suicide bombers, this will distinguish them from the others; for who other than ideologues carry out suicide operations in this day and age? Will anyone convince me that the Baathists of Saddam Hussein carry out suicide operations? We saw how, when they came face to face with the Americans, at the height of the battle, they failed to do anything of the sort, and this is where the difference lies; but, of course, it points the finger at specific people. Let me say it clearly: these kind of people are unwanted and rejected by this nation.