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American Morning

The Shiite Movement in Iraq

Aired April 23, 2003 - 07:04   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get back to Iraq quickly now. The devotion of Shiite Muslims has been seen during a pilgrimage by hundreds of thousands to the holy city of Karbala. That pilgrimage banned for almost 25 years during Saddam Hussein's rule there.
We want to get straight to Nic Robertson, who is on the scene.

Nic -- good afternoon there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. Good morning to you.

It's certainly been an expression of freedom that many people here say that they would never have had under Saddam Hussein's rule. The fact that they could come here in such numbers, the fact that they could tour around the shines here, that they could beat themselves as an act of contrition for losing their holy leader so many centuries ago, they would never have been able to do this, they say, under Saddam Hussein.

What is very, very impressing about this situation, we have people coming to us here because we're the Western media here, because they see CNN as being very much an American organization. They come along and they say, thank you very much, thank you for helping liberate Iraq, thank you to President Bush. Then in the same breath, they say, thank you, but now, no thank you to the coalition troops, no thank you to the U.S. troops, please withdraw them from Iraq.

And when we asked them why, after the United States helped liberate you from somebody you didn't like, from President Saddam Hussein? They say they are deeply suspicious of the United States' political intentions in Iraq.

The Shiite community here makes up about 60 percent of the population. Many of their religious leaders have begun to fill the political power vacuum left by Saddam Hussein's regime. They're beginning to have a political voice. They're beginning to call for Iraqi to be rebuilt along Islamic lines. They are beginning to call for an Islamic state inside Iraq.

And the people we've talked to say they will follow their religious leaders in this, and many people, many of these leaders say that they think the United States will try to undermine them in that.

When we talk to people here, regular people on the street, and say, look, the United States helped you, why do you want them out now? They say they are suspicious. They say when the United States fought its way into Iraq, it fought its way from the south to the north, they say many innocent Shiite civilians were killed at that time. And then, they make a comparison to Baghdad and the areas of the Sunni Muslims north of Baghdad, and they say very few Sunni Muslims were killed there.

They draw these conclusions and these parallels, and they say, therefore, the Shiite community will be put down socially and politically, and that is still a fear, still an apprehension and a suspicion -- Bill.

HEMMER: Nic, "The Washington Post" is reporting that the White House perhaps underestimated in some circles how strong the Shiite population would be. You're seeing the evidence there after about 25 years of repression from this religious ceremony, though.

But can you give us a better breakdown upon the Shiites who believe the U.S. should go immediately, and those that give the U.S. credit for liberating them and allowing them to conduct these ceremonies we're watching right now live?

ROBERTSON: Well, Bill, it has to be said that this celebration that's been going on here -- and I came back into Iraq the day after Saddam Hussein's regime fell essentially -- this is the first time I've really seen numbers of people out on the streets freely celebrating that new liberation.

It's very difficult to give a breakdown of the numbers of Shia who would follow their religious leaders. But what happened here in that power vacuum created by the removal of Saddam Hussein and before any other government has been established, many people turned to their religious leaders for security, for social leadership, and they have found that in those religious leaders.

Those religious leaders also want a political voice now. It has been repressed not only under Saddam Hussein's regime, but under previous governments as well. And right now, this community that's expressing their religious freedom here sees this period now as an opportunity to get a political voice they have never had before.

So while you hear many, many, many people saying they'll follow their religious leaders, it is not clear yet if put to a vote would they follow those leaders who want an Islamic state, or would they follow those more secular leaders who would go for a more pluralistic, a more secular type of government -- Bill.

HEMMER: Nic Robertson live in Iraq -- 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 23, 2003 - 07:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: We want to get back to Iraq quickly now. The devotion of Shiite Muslims has been seen during a pilgrimage by hundreds of thousands to the holy city of Karbala. That pilgrimage banned for almost 25 years during Saddam Hussein's rule there.
We want to get straight to Nic Robertson, who is on the scene.

Nic -- good afternoon there.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill. Good morning to you.

It's certainly been an expression of freedom that many people here say that they would never have had under Saddam Hussein's rule. The fact that they could come here in such numbers, the fact that they could tour around the shines here, that they could beat themselves as an act of contrition for losing their holy leader so many centuries ago, they would never have been able to do this, they say, under Saddam Hussein.

What is very, very impressing about this situation, we have people coming to us here because we're the Western media here, because they see CNN as being very much an American organization. They come along and they say, thank you very much, thank you for helping liberate Iraq, thank you to President Bush. Then in the same breath, they say, thank you, but now, no thank you to the coalition troops, no thank you to the U.S. troops, please withdraw them from Iraq.

And when we asked them why, after the United States helped liberate you from somebody you didn't like, from President Saddam Hussein? They say they are deeply suspicious of the United States' political intentions in Iraq.

The Shiite community here makes up about 60 percent of the population. Many of their religious leaders have begun to fill the political power vacuum left by Saddam Hussein's regime. They're beginning to have a political voice. They're beginning to call for Iraqi to be rebuilt along Islamic lines. They are beginning to call for an Islamic state inside Iraq.

And the people we've talked to say they will follow their religious leaders in this, and many people, many of these leaders say that they think the United States will try to undermine them in that.

When we talk to people here, regular people on the street, and say, look, the United States helped you, why do you want them out now? They say they are suspicious. They say when the United States fought its way into Iraq, it fought its way from the south to the north, they say many innocent Shiite civilians were killed at that time. And then, they make a comparison to Baghdad and the areas of the Sunni Muslims north of Baghdad, and they say very few Sunni Muslims were killed there.

They draw these conclusions and these parallels, and they say, therefore, the Shiite community will be put down socially and politically, and that is still a fear, still an apprehension and a suspicion -- Bill.

HEMMER: Nic, "The Washington Post" is reporting that the White House perhaps underestimated in some circles how strong the Shiite population would be. You're seeing the evidence there after about 25 years of repression from this religious ceremony, though.

But can you give us a better breakdown upon the Shiites who believe the U.S. should go immediately, and those that give the U.S. credit for liberating them and allowing them to conduct these ceremonies we're watching right now live?

ROBERTSON: Well, Bill, it has to be said that this celebration that's been going on here -- and I came back into Iraq the day after Saddam Hussein's regime fell essentially -- this is the first time I've really seen numbers of people out on the streets freely celebrating that new liberation.

It's very difficult to give a breakdown of the numbers of Shia who would follow their religious leaders. But what happened here in that power vacuum created by the removal of Saddam Hussein and before any other government has been established, many people turned to their religious leaders for security, for social leadership, and they have found that in those religious leaders.

Those religious leaders also want a political voice now. It has been repressed not only under Saddam Hussein's regime, but under previous governments as well. And right now, this community that's expressing their religious freedom here sees this period now as an opportunity to get a political voice they have never had before.

So while you hear many, many, many people saying they'll follow their religious leaders, it is not clear yet if put to a vote would they follow those leaders who want an Islamic state, or would they follow those more secular leaders who would go for a more pluralistic, a more secular type of government -- Bill.

HEMMER: Nic Robertson live in Iraq -- 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.