April 14, 2012
NAJAF, Southern Iraq, — The cleric and political leader Moqtada al-Sadr has been praised by the Kurdish Blocs Coalition KBC for standing by Kurds after a sheik threatened to kill them if they did not leave Arab cities within a week.
Last Friday, a statement from sheik Abdullah al-Muhammadawi, the spokesperson for 9th Division of Badr, the military wing of the Sons of Iraq, said the group would carry weapons against Kurds and Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani if they did not leave Baghdad and other Arab areas within one week.
He also complained about the treatment of Arabs entering Kurdistan Region at checkpoints and visa problems.
Moqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement, refused to support the sheik's threats. When questioned by a follower about the issue, he said:
"Those who attacks the Kurds are our enemy, and the enemy of religion and Iraq in general. As long as they are peaceful, you should be peaceful to them.
"The Kurds are our brothers and our partners ... They have their policy and we have ours and we all work for the religion and the homeland."
The spokesman for the Kurdish Blocs Coalition (KBC), who described the Sons of Iraq coalition as "terrorist and racist" two days ago,www.ekurd.net said yesterday that the position of the cleric Moqtada al-Sadr was an extension of the longstanding position of the Sadr family that the Kurdish people are proud of.
"We greatly appreciate this national position adopted by Sadr and the Kurdish people is proud of this wise stand," he said.
"We are not surprised about this position, because Sadr belongs to a well-known historical family known of its resistance to all forms of injustice and arbitrariness and has a great role in Iraq."
He added that these attitudes contribute towards building a democratic Iraq based on the foundations of justice, fraternity and co-existence.
Muhammadawi told AKnews on Monday: "I represent a peaceful political party and I did not threaten anybody.
"My position was clear that is about treating the Kurds entering the Arab areas the same the Arabs entering the Kurdistan Region are treated."
The Badr organization announced that Muhammadawi's statements do not represent the group at a press conference in Baghdad.
By Khudr Khullat
Copyright ©, respective author or news agency, aknews.com
