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CNN Live At Daybreak
Iraq's Shiite Muslims Reviving Banned Tradition
Aired April 22, 2003 - 05:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's Shiite Muslims are reviving a tradition banned under Saddam Hussein.
CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us live from Karbala, the site of a mammoth pilgrimage -- good morning, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Indeed, all day yesterday, all through the night and all day this morning so far, tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims have been flocking into this holy city of Karbala. They've come to pay homage at the shrine of Al Imam Al Hussein, one of their martyrs who died more than 1,300 years ago but is a major symbol for the Shiite Muslim majority here in Iraq.
This event was banned under Saddam Hussein in certain respects. The numbers under Saddam Hussein that were permitted to come here were restricted. They were only allowed to come in trucks and buses. These people's tradition, however, dictates that they should walk here and this time that's precisely what they've done.
People that I've talked to have been waling for 18 days to get here. They set out from home before the Saddam Hussein regime fell, just in the hope of making it through somehow. That wish is being granted and so this is, by all accounts, turning into a celebration of newfound religious freedoms.
At the same time, Carol, there is a political undertone to this gathering. There's a message, a very strong message by these pilgrims to U.S. and British forces. They're thanking them for their intervention, for helping get rid of Saddam Hussein from Iraq, but they're also calling on the coalition forces now to go home. They're saying your work's done, we don't require for the moment any more assistance and please, they say to the coalition forces, don't interfere in how we choose our future leaders. And many of these pilgrims have been marching with placards and banners calling for the introduction of Islamic law.
Their clerics, their senior clerics have made it clear that they don't want high political office. They do say, nevertheless, that they want to play a central role in social and civil society. In many respects, you might say that does equate to political power. But what the clerics here are looking for is to build political power from the grassroots up, to manage the masses, to control the masses, to influence the masses so that they will have a major impact on nation building now in Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is there any sense that they understand that coalition forces might have to stay there just to keep order?
PENHAUL: They understand what's been said to them, Carol. They don't seem to like it. In fact, at this particular pilgrimage, predictions are that several million may show up. But they have asked, the clerics have asked for coalition forces to stay away, not to provide security. And, in fact, here in Karbala, through the intervention of the clerics, there's been a very limited amount of looting and stealing, not the scenes, not on the scale that we saw in Baghdad. Here, without the help of coalition forces, the clerics and the religious leaders have managed to reestablish electricity and water supplies. There's been very little outside help here. The people of Karbala have said we're capable of running this city ourselves, now let us get on and run the country ourselves, too -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, of course, the city is run by Shiites, right, and clerics?
PENHAUL: That's correct. There is a civil administration here in place, a local civil administration, but, yes, certainly the senior clerics and a council of senior Islamic clerics have a major influence on the civilians, the civilian politicians. And, indeed, yes, this is a major Shiite stronghold, a major Shiite city. But you must remember, of the 23 or so million population in Iraq, two thirds of those are Shiite Muslims. They feel that under the regime of Saddam Hussein they were downtrodden and now they feel their chance is coming -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Karl Penhaul live from Karbala this morning.
Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired April 22, 2003 - 05:08 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Iraq's Shiite Muslims are reviving a tradition banned under Saddam Hussein.
CNN's Karl Penhaul joins us live from Karbala, the site of a mammoth pilgrimage -- good morning, Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.
Indeed, all day yesterday, all through the night and all day this morning so far, tens, if not hundreds of thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims have been flocking into this holy city of Karbala. They've come to pay homage at the shrine of Al Imam Al Hussein, one of their martyrs who died more than 1,300 years ago but is a major symbol for the Shiite Muslim majority here in Iraq.
This event was banned under Saddam Hussein in certain respects. The numbers under Saddam Hussein that were permitted to come here were restricted. They were only allowed to come in trucks and buses. These people's tradition, however, dictates that they should walk here and this time that's precisely what they've done.
People that I've talked to have been waling for 18 days to get here. They set out from home before the Saddam Hussein regime fell, just in the hope of making it through somehow. That wish is being granted and so this is, by all accounts, turning into a celebration of newfound religious freedoms.
At the same time, Carol, there is a political undertone to this gathering. There's a message, a very strong message by these pilgrims to U.S. and British forces. They're thanking them for their intervention, for helping get rid of Saddam Hussein from Iraq, but they're also calling on the coalition forces now to go home. They're saying your work's done, we don't require for the moment any more assistance and please, they say to the coalition forces, don't interfere in how we choose our future leaders. And many of these pilgrims have been marching with placards and banners calling for the introduction of Islamic law.
Their clerics, their senior clerics have made it clear that they don't want high political office. They do say, nevertheless, that they want to play a central role in social and civil society. In many respects, you might say that does equate to political power. But what the clerics here are looking for is to build political power from the grassroots up, to manage the masses, to control the masses, to influence the masses so that they will have a major impact on nation building now in Iraq -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Is there any sense that they understand that coalition forces might have to stay there just to keep order?
PENHAUL: They understand what's been said to them, Carol. They don't seem to like it. In fact, at this particular pilgrimage, predictions are that several million may show up. But they have asked, the clerics have asked for coalition forces to stay away, not to provide security. And, in fact, here in Karbala, through the intervention of the clerics, there's been a very limited amount of looting and stealing, not the scenes, not on the scale that we saw in Baghdad. Here, without the help of coalition forces, the clerics and the religious leaders have managed to reestablish electricity and water supplies. There's been very little outside help here. The people of Karbala have said we're capable of running this city ourselves, now let us get on and run the country ourselves, too -- Carol.
COSTELLO: And, of course, the city is run by Shiites, right, and clerics?
PENHAUL: That's correct. There is a civil administration here in place, a local civil administration, but, yes, certainly the senior clerics and a council of senior Islamic clerics have a major influence on the civilians, the civilian politicians. And, indeed, yes, this is a major Shiite stronghold, a major Shiite city. But you must remember, of the 23 or so million population in Iraq, two thirds of those are Shiite Muslims. They feel that under the regime of Saddam Hussein they were downtrodden and now they feel their chance is coming -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Karl Penhaul live from Karbala this morning.
Many thanks.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
