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CNN Saturday Morning News
Thousands Take to Streets to Protest Bombings in Najaf
Aired August 30, 2003 - 07:03 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.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: In Baghdad, thousands of people, most of them Shi'ite Muslims, took to the streets today protesting the bombing at Najaf.
CNN's Rym Brahimi is in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. She joins us now with more. Rym?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thomas, indeed, the attack in Najaf has sent shock waves right into the Iraqi capital, where several demonstrations actually sprang up in various neighborhoods, and then some of them joined into a big one.
About 2,000 to 3,000 people marched up to the headquarters of the coalition authorities, chanting anti-American slogans, saying, No to U.S., no to Saddam, yes to Islam, and yes to the Hausa (ph), which is the theological institution that governs the Shi'a Muslims.
Now, many people here are extremely worried. There is tension in the air. People blame the United States for not having been able to prevent this. People are calling on the U.S. to prevent further attacks, and a lot of people are also blaming Saddam loyalists for this.
Now, there are also a lot of people who are extremely worried because not just the death of this religious and political leader, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Hakim, is very symbolic, in a way, for the people he was leading, but it also happened right in front of the Imam Ali Mosque, which is the burial place of the cousin of the Prophet, and that's highly symbolic.
This means a lot of people are concerned right now that this could be an attack against Shi'a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Shi'a Islam and Shi'a Muslims at large, and not just against that particular group of Shi'a Muslims, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Rym, as I understand it, in regard to the U.N. bombing, there will be a memorial service held today to remember those lost, and also the U.N. making a pretty major announcement about staffing.
BRAHIMI: That's right. In fact, the memorial service did take place in the morning. It was the final ceremony to commemorate those 23 people who died in the blast at the U.N. compound that took place sometime last week.
And now the group of heads of U.N. missions who are there, the head of the World Health Organization and the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, as well as the head of the U.N. refugee agency. But the humanitarian coordinator actually wanted to reiterate the United Nations commitment to Iraq, saying they were -- they expressed solidarity to what Iraqis were going through right now.
And also, there are these reports that more U.N. staff are being called out. What we understand for the time being is that those that were here during the attack have been given two weeks' leave outside of the country.
It's supposed to be a temporary measure, but, of course, with a lot of international organizations reducing their staff members as well as nongovernmental organizations, it does raise a question as to how little safe, rather, these people feel now in today's Iraq, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Rym Brahimi, live for us in Baghdad. Rym, thanks very much.
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 August 30, 2003 - 07:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THOMAS ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: In Baghdad, thousands of people, most of them Shi'ite Muslims, took to the streets today protesting the bombing at Najaf.
CNN's Rym Brahimi is in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad. She joins us now with more. Rym?
RYM BRAHIMI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Thomas, indeed, the attack in Najaf has sent shock waves right into the Iraqi capital, where several demonstrations actually sprang up in various neighborhoods, and then some of them joined into a big one.
About 2,000 to 3,000 people marched up to the headquarters of the coalition authorities, chanting anti-American slogans, saying, No to U.S., no to Saddam, yes to Islam, and yes to the Hausa (ph), which is the theological institution that governs the Shi'a Muslims.
Now, many people here are extremely worried. There is tension in the air. People blame the United States for not having been able to prevent this. People are calling on the U.S. to prevent further attacks, and a lot of people are also blaming Saddam loyalists for this.
Now, there are also a lot of people who are extremely worried because not just the death of this religious and political leader, (UNINTELLIGIBLE) Hakim, is very symbolic, in a way, for the people he was leading, but it also happened right in front of the Imam Ali Mosque, which is the burial place of the cousin of the Prophet, and that's highly symbolic.
This means a lot of people are concerned right now that this could be an attack against Shi'a (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- (UNINTELLIGIBLE) -- Shi'a Islam and Shi'a Muslims at large, and not just against that particular group of Shi'a Muslims, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Rym, as I understand it, in regard to the U.N. bombing, there will be a memorial service held today to remember those lost, and also the U.N. making a pretty major announcement about staffing.
BRAHIMI: That's right. In fact, the memorial service did take place in the morning. It was the final ceremony to commemorate those 23 people who died in the blast at the U.N. compound that took place sometime last week.
And now the group of heads of U.N. missions who are there, the head of the World Health Organization and the U.N. humanitarian coordinator, as well as the head of the U.N. refugee agency. But the humanitarian coordinator actually wanted to reiterate the United Nations commitment to Iraq, saying they were -- they expressed solidarity to what Iraqis were going through right now.
And also, there are these reports that more U.N. staff are being called out. What we understand for the time being is that those that were here during the attack have been given two weeks' leave outside of the country.
It's supposed to be a temporary measure, but, of course, with a lot of international organizations reducing their staff members as well as nongovernmental organizations, it does raise a question as to how little safe, rather, these people feel now in today's Iraq, Thomas.
ROBERTS: Rym Brahimi, live for us in Baghdad. Rym, thanks very much.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
