Remember when Grand Ayatolla Ali al-Sistani said all gays should be killed?

[NNN0LHI]

And then he changed it to some other undecipherable bullshit like maybe just lesbians should be killed or some other crazy nonsense. Remember that? If you don't just Google "Sistani+gay" and you will get the picture after clicking a few links.

My question is just what in the feck could have made the good old ayatollah back off on that? It wasn't some group of gay Iraqi exiles living in the UK that no one ever heard of who did it as some have suggested either. That is pure BS.

Whats with this guy? Something doesn't smell right. Who is pulling his strings?

Don

[Nozebro]

1. Maybe someone informed him that many men fancy what the Grand A.

may have thought only gays do?

[DeSwiss]

2. Sistani: "Gays Should Be Killed In The Worst Possible Way...."

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/archives/2006_03_01_healingiraq_archive.html#114261229300178066">Sistani: "Gays Should Be Killed in Worst Way Possible."

And this Ayatollah shows what I think of Sistani....

http://healingiraq.blogspot.com/archives/2006_03_01_healingiraq_archive.html#114207753103614380">His Eminence

[bigtree]

3. as horrible as his statements are, he's just another religous zealot

that type of moralism goes along with everything else they use religon to justify their clique and manipulate their congregation.

Sistani's significance has been his ability to influence his Shia following to vote in the staged elections, enabling the Maliki regime to exist. As abhorrent as he is, there are others with more extreme views who are vying to assume leadership roles as they resist the new regime. His exit from the political scene signals the growing anarchy which will animate and elevate the more extreme elements there. Sistani is the least of Iraq's problems at this point. He's lost his ability to influence his followers away from active, violent resistance, and is indicating that he isn't going to stand between them and the crumbling regime as they resist, although he still advocates against the resistant violence.

His statements were abhorrent, but they don't really reflect his role and the focus of his influence, or lack of.

[NNN0LHI]

4. I wasn't addressing how abhorrent his statements were in this post

I have done so in other posts here though.

The question is what in the world could have caused him to backtrack on this issue as he did?

Any ideas?

Don

Edit: I have a theory of my own on this. I say the old boy can't fog a mirror no more. And once that becomes widely known Sadr becomes the top spiritual leader of Iraq all by himself.

[bigtree]

5. the fatwa remains in force, apparently

so, I don't think he changed anything except for his website.

Was there some update beyond the March back and forth?

[NNN0LHI]

7. What/who could have made him remove it from his website?

That question alone begs an answer.

Don

[riderinthestorm]

6. Wow. That would be interesting if he's dead.

(shakes head contemplating that little piece of disaster befalling Iraq right now....)

[DavidDvorkin]

8. What makes you assume someone's pulling his strings?

He's a religious zealot. That's sufficient explanation right there.