Sadr Group Warns of Post-Elections Sectarian Conflict

CAIRO, January 29 (IslamOnline.net) – An aide to anti-occupation Iraqi Shiite leader Moqtada Al-Sadr has reiterated opposition to the controversial general vote, warning it runs the risk of a deadly sectarian conflict.

“Taking into consideration the popularity and clout enjoyed by Al-Sadr group, one realizes that not all Shiites are participating in Sunday’s polls,” Sheikh Hassan Al-Zarqani, the group’s media officer, told IslamOnline.net. snip

“Some religious authorities, like Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, support the vote, others prohibit it and a third camp sets a pullout timetable as a precondition for any participation.”

He underlined, meanwhile, that Sadr’s position on the elections remains unchanged.

“We believe that the vote is an attempt to legitimize the occupation and would never sign up to any such thing.”

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