IRAQ: REBEL SHI'ITE CLERIC MOQTADA AL-SADR SPEAKING DURING FRIDAY PRAYER'S IN KUFA CONDEMNS RECENT BEHEADING OF A SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGE AND PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR IRAQ'S NEIGHBOURS

Record ID: 647759

  • Title: IRAQ: REBEL SHI'ITE CLERIC MOQTADA AL-SADR SPEAKING DURING FRIDAY PRAYER'S IN KUFA CONDEMNS RECENT BEHEADING OF A SOUTH KOREAN HOSTAGE AND PLEDGES SUPPORT FOR IRAQ'S NEIGHBOURS
  • Date: 23rd July 2004
  • Summary: (EU) KUFA , IRAQ (JULY 23, 2004) (REUTERS) 1. SHI'ITE CLERIC SAYED MOQTADA AL-SADR ARRIVING AT KUFA MOSQUE 0.07 2. AL-SADR ENTERING THE MOSQUE 0.20 3. WIDE OF AL-SADR ON PODIUM AND HIS FOLLOWERS CHANTING (2 SHOTS) 0.36 4. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MOQTADA AL-SADR SAYING: "If you knew politics and religion, you would not have cut off his head .... there is no religion or religious law that punishes by beheading....true, they are your enemies and occupiers, but this does not justify cutting off their heads," 1.17 5. WIDE OF AL-SADR IN FRIDAY PRAYERS 1.23 (W5) KUFA, IRAQ (JULY 23, 2004) (REUTERS) 6. WS: WORSHIPPERS CHANTING FOR MOQTADA AL-SADR IN KUFA MOSQUE 1.28 7. (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) AL-SADR, SAYING: "From now on, we will not accept any attacks on Iraq's neighbours, especially Iran and Syria, which have fought against the dictator (Saddam Hussein) for years and we will stand with them." 1.51 8. WORSHIPPERS CHANTING FOR AL-SADR 2.00 9. WIDE OF WORSHIPPERS SEATED 2.04 (EU) KUFA , IRAQ (JULY 23, 2004) (REUTERS) 10. AL-SADR PRAYING 2.10 (W5) KUFA, IRAQ (JULY 23, 2004) (REUTERS) 11. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PRAYING OUTSIDE (3 SHOTS) 2.26 Initials PICTURE QUALITY AS INCOMING Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 7th August 2004 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: KUFA, IRAQ
  • Country: Iraq
  • Reuters ID: LVA4J519E153SC72WPI4SI8SCF7H
  • Story Text: Shi'ite cleric Al-Sadr condemns beheading of South
    Korean hostage; Calls on more support for Iraq's
    neighbouring countries.


    Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who led an uprising
    against U.S.-led forces in Iraq, said during an address to
    worshippers in Kufa mosque at Friday prayers (July 23) that
    militants were not justified in beheading a South Korean
    hostage.

    A group led by Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi
    beheaded a South Korean hostage, Kim Sun-il, in June after
    Seoul refused the group's demands to withdraw its troops
    from Iraq.

    Al-Sadr said that if Zarqawi "knew politics and religion" he
    would not have decapitated the hostage, adding
    that there is no religion or religious law that punishes by
    beheading.

    Al-Sadr said that being an enemy did not justify having
    one's head cut off.

    "True, they are your enemies and occupiers, but this
    does not justify cutting off their heads," Al-Sadr said.

    Some analysts say that foreign militants have come to
    Iraq to pursue "jihad" or holy war against the West, while
    Iraqi insurgents are broadly fighting against what they see
    as an occupation.

    Al-Sadr has been a fierce opponent of the U.S.-led
    occupation, but since calling off a rebellion by his Mehdi
    Army militia earlier this year, he has shown signs of
    moderating his stance, seen as a bid to rejoin the
    political process.

    Zarqawi's group has also beheaded an American and at
    least one Bulgarian. Bulgaria said it was investigating a
    decapitated corpse that was found on Thursday (July 22) to
    determine if it was the body of a second Bulgarian that was
    being held by the group.

    During his address, Al-Sadr also pledged support to
    Iraq's neighbouring countries, especially to Syria and Iran.

    "From now on, we will not accept any attacks on Iraq's
    neighbours, especially Iran and Syria, which have fought
    against the dictator (Saddam Hussein) for years and we will
    stand with them," Al-Sadr said.

    Al-Sadr added that he was still committed to seeing an
    end to the presence of foreign troops in Iraq. U.S.-led
    forces handed sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government on
    June 28, but 160,000 U.S. and other foreign troops remain
    in the country.


  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register