Al-Qaeda Ally Wanted

Last Sunday, I read a transcript of an interview by al-Arabiya channel with Harith al-Dhari, an Iraqi Sunni cleric. Dhari, who heads the Muslim Scholars Association, one of the associations suspected of supporting terrorism, considered what al-Qaeda in Iraq is doing “resistance”. I stopped here and thought to myself what kind of a person considers al-Qaeda’s operations as such?

Asked if he considers what al-Qaeda is doing in Iraq is “resistance”, Dhari said, “yes, absolutely. [Al-Qaeda] and the other groups are doing the resistance operations in Anbar, Mosul, Salahuldeen, Kirkuk, Diyala, and Baghdad.”

In the same interview, Dhari attacked the Anbar tribes that are fighting al-Qaeda now calling them “road gangs who don’t like the resistance which defeated their crimes.” He also described these tribes as “weak groups”.

Since that Association was formed, I believed that this man and his gangs were behind most of the killings and kidnappings that started shortly after the invasion. The kidnapped western journalists, who some of them showed up at the Association Headquarters, is a fact that made me think twice about the kind of relationship between them and al-Qaeda. I finally discovered that when I was at their headquarters as I was waiting to interview Dhari Jr.

Unfortunately, no one was able arrest this poisonous man previously as there was no clear evidence of his involvement with such groups. But now and Few days after the interview, the Iraqi government happily seized the opportunity and issued an arrest warrant against Dhari who was accused of encouraging sectarian violence and supporting terrorism, represented by al-Qaeda.

Al-Dhari denied the accusations from Jordan, telling Al Jazeera English: "I'm accused of inciting terrorism in Iraq, however the real reasons for my arrest warrant is not this accusation."

"Everyone knows that me and the association with all its members call for peace, stability and reconciliation."

In my opinion al-Dhari should have been either arrested or killed immediately after what happened during the funeral of the slain journalist, Atwar Bahjat after the bombing of al-Askari shrine in Sammarra which triggered the civil war in the country. Atwar’s funeral procession through Baghdad was attacked in the area which Dhari and his tribe control. The procession was first attacked by a gunmen and then by a bomber. Three people died, all members of the security forces, compounding the anguish and bewilderment of Atwar’s family and friends at her killing a day earlier.

As a response to the arrest warrant, Tariq al-Hashimi, the country's Sunni Vice-President, condemned the arrest warrant saying "it is destructive to the national reconciliation plan".

In a statement, Al-Hashimi urged the government to cancel the warrant immediately!! Huh! This how our “elected” politicians denounce terrorism!!!

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