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A bomb attack in Iraq has badly damaged one of the holiest sites in
Islam, sparking furious protests.
Thousands of Iraqis have gathered at the al-Askari shrine in Samarra,
north of Baghdad, where two men blew up the famous golden dome in a dawn
raid.
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the spiritual head of Iraq's Muslims, has
called for a week of mourning.
The BBC's Jon Brain in Baghdad says the attack was almost certainly
designed to raise the existing tensions between the majority Shia and
minority Sunni populations.
Shias distraught
The shrine is one of two tombs in Samarra for revered Shia imams, which
attract pilgrims from around the world.
It was attacked one day after at least 22 people died when a car bomb
exploded in a market in a Shia neighborhood of southern Baghdad.
There were no immediate reports of injuries in Wednesday's attack, but
there are fears that people may have been trapped in the rubble.
Large crowds quickly gathered outside the shrine to vent their anger.
There were reports of disturbances in the Shia-dominated city of Karbala
and in the southern city of Basra.
However, Ayatollah Sistani, who has consistently preached a moderate tone
throughout the Iraqi conflict, urged Shias not to attack Sunni Muslims or
their holy places.
Speaking in London, UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw called the attack a
"criminal and sacrilegious act", but urged all Iraqis to show restraint and
avoid retaliation.
Holy site
The al-Askari shrine, part of the Imam Ali al-Hadi mausoleum, is one of
Islam's holiest sites.
The compound contains the remains of the 10th and 11th imams, reputed to
be direct descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.
Imam Ali al-Hadi died in 868 AD and his son, Hassan al-Askari, died in
874 AD. The golden dome topping the al-Askari shrine was finally completed
in 1905.
Iraq's Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari, appeared live on television to
declare three days of mourning.
He called on Iraqis to "close the road to those who want to undermine
national unity".
National security adviser Muwafaq al-Rubaie, another Shia, blamed Wahabi
militants for the attack.
"They will fail to draw the Iraqi people into civil war as they have
failed in the past," Reuters news agency reported him saying.
This is
not the first attack on our holy shrines that happened in the history. About 81
years ago, On Wednesday, April 21,1925, 8 Shawwal 1345 A.H., the mausoleums of
Imam Hassan AlMujtaba (AS), Imam Ali ibn Al-Hussain Zaynul Abideen (AS), Imam
Muhammed Al-Baqir, and Imam Jafar Al-Sadiq (AS) in Jannatul Baqi' in Al-Madinah
Al-Munawarra were demolished by King ibn Saud, in the same year, other
mausoleums of the mausoleums of the holy prophet Muhammed (PBUH) mother, wife,
grandfather, and other ancestors were demolished by the Saudi Government and it
is still demolished until now and we are banned from reestablishing the shrines
by the same Saudi Government. We ask Almighty Allah to hasten the reappearance
of Imam Al-Mahdi (AS) to fill this world with justice as it is filled now with
injustice.
We urge all
Muslims to follow the instructions of the senior-most religious authority
(Al-Marji'iyyah Al-Diniyyah)
in exercising restraint during
these turbulent times.
Finally and most importantly,
this direct attack emphasizes the need for the Muslim community to adhere to the
advice of Imam Ali (p) in his last words where he urged for excelling in piety
and organization of affairs.
The Holy
Qur’an testifies
“and they
devised plans and Allah too had arranged a plan; and Allah is the best of
planners”.
- Statements of different Maraje' (Senior-Most Religious
Authorities)
Pictures Courtesy: AlMujtaba Network
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