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Gulf figures denounce Jordanian remarks

By: Sultan Ahmed

MANAMA, Bahrain: Shia personalities from countries of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have expressed their condemnation for remarks by Jordanian king Abdullah II in which he warned against formation of Shia government in Iraq.

Cleric Sheikh Hasan As-Saffar, one of prominent personalities in Saudi Arabia, termed the comments an attempt to inflame sectarian sedition, an attempt in which fulfillment through violence and blasts the terrorists have failed in Iraq.

As-Saffar hoped that the sons of the Arab region i.e. Sunnis and Shias would thwart this wicked conspiracy against them and said that democracy and justice would help the people of the region get rid of troubles.

Chairman Federal National Islamic Association in Bahrain Sheikh Ali Salman and Secretary-General for Shia Ulema Society in Kuwait Sayyed Muhammad Baqer Al-Mousawi Al-Mehri described King Abdullah II’s statement as ‘open interference in Iraqi affairs.’

In an interview to The Washington Post published December 8, king Abdullah II said creation of an Islamic government in Iraq would dramatically shift the geopolitical balance between Shia and Sunni Muslims in the Middle East.

He warned that if a pro-Iranian government were elected in Iraq, a new “crescent” of dominant Shia movements or governments could emerge stretching from Iran to Iraq, Syria and Lebanon, altering the traditional balance of power between the two main Islamic sects, Shias and Sunnis, and posing new challenges to US interests and allies (Israel, Britain and India).

“If Iraq goes Islamic republic, then, yes, we've opened ourselves to a whole set of new problems that will not be limited to the borders of Iraq,” said Abdullah.

He said the creation of a new Shia crescent would particularly destabilize Gulf countries with Shia populations.

“Even Saudi Arabia is not immune from this. It would be a major problem. And then that would propel the possibility of a Shia-Sunni conflict even more, as you're taking it out of the borders of Iraq,” the king said.

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