The Iraqi Elections

The back ground to The General Election on 12/ 5 /2018

For three decades Iraq was ruled by a dictator who physically annihilated any  opposition inside , Those who managed to flee were mainly organized  Islamists dissenters .

 These organized  Islamists  returned  after the overthrow of the dictator by  American tanks and tomahawks in 2003 and set out  immediately  to mislead the occupier to almost formalize the sectarian division of the Arab people who form the majority in Iraq  into Shies and Sunnis and dissolve the Iraqi Army  , Then through  fanning  sectarian  hatred  they kept the leash  of  the zealots and  the frightened of the Shies and Sunnis in their hands to unleash at the ballot box on every election ensuring their continuous hold on power , At the same time some  of them  set out to grab for themselves and their relatives whatever  they missed on exile  particularly  power and money through corruption and malpractices .

 After fifteen years of this status quo  the people of Iraq are demoralized and fed up to the extent that even their brilliant and widely  acclaimed  victory over DAESH ( ISSIS  ) did not help  to  lift their spirit .

Faced with the above election most of the Iraqis sought the guidance of their Muslim Clerics 

In Iraq there is a high respect for religious dictates .There is also a  teaching  among Shies  to " follow thy cleric" .

Throughout history this respect for Islam  and  the concept of  fellowship was exploited by the  Muslim clergy to further their authority over the population and maximize their income , it is also used to day by some clerics to brainwash people into blind obedience and erase their God given ability to think .

Grand Ayatollah Al-Sistani who was to my mind consistently progressive , came out with a statement clear of any religious jargon .

-- That The electorate should act according to their  satisfaction and make up their minds  after  thorough examination and scrutiny .

-- Iraqis to examine the past records of the heads of the  parties and candidates particularly those who were in power  for failure  and corruption .

--  To vote or not to vote shall be a decision for the individual Iraqi citizen to take .

After all that you may say to me :

Elementary My Dear Abdulhadi (Watson ) .

And I will say to you :

 Not so elementary  My Dear Friend (Holmes);

For  the most high ranking Muslim Cleric  in our Mid- Easton societies  to ask the citizen to Think and Decide and not to Listen and Obey  .

             
                               (    Sorry Sherlock Holmes Sir )