AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Hojat al-Islam Sayyed Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji, the Friday Prayer Leader of Najaf, said in his Friday prayer sermons in this city: "Praise and gratitude belong to Almighty God, and also to our dear people and our popular and governmental institutions for the success of the pilgrimage to Imam Hussain (a.s.) on the night and day of Arafah. While official reports have announced this year's number of Hajj pilgrims as 1,700,000, preliminary reports on the pilgrimage to Imam Hussain (a.s.) indicate that the figure has preliminarily exceeded 7,000,000, without, by the grace of Almighty God, any notable problems occurring. We are still awaiting the official report on this matter." These remarks were made in the Friday prayer sermon today in Najaf.
Regarding Iraq's internal issues, he said: "Our people still expect Prime Minister Ali al-Zayadi to complete the cabinet, as 9 ministries remain vacant. Here, the Prime Minister faces two problems: first, the problem of political quota-seeking, and second, international intervention. Some news reports have spoken of an attempt by some Arab countries at the United Nations to portray Iraq as a state supporting terrorism if one of the ministries is given to a resistance element."
The Friday Prayer Leader of Najaf added: "We ask the Prime Minister and the Coordination Framework to manage this situation in a way that serves Iraq's interests, free from external pressures, and based on the just rights of all groups."
Hojat al-Islam Sayyed Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji continued: "Also, a proposal has been made to create new ministries, but the question is: what is the interest of Iraq in creating new ministries, when such an action imposes a heavy cost on the budget? It would be better to downsize the cabinet. We hope the Coordination Framework and the presidency of the government will examine this issue from the perspective of Iraq's interest, not the interest of parties."
He spoke about international reports concerning the displacement of 7,500 Pakistanis and the freezing of their assets solely because they are Shia, asking: "Where are the humanitarian standards and justice in such actions? While the constitutions of these countries speak of the principle of equality and freedom of belief and opinion, in practice, by displacing these individuals because they are Shia, they promote a culture of hatred."
The Friday Prayer Leader of Najaf referred to Israeli airstrikes and raids on southern Lebanon, which have resulted in the martyrdom and injury of dozens of people, amid international silence, while the world speaks of establishing peace. But it seems this call for peace is only one-sided and directed at our nations, not at Israel. Here the question arises: where does Israel fit into peace? Where does the United Nations fit into the peace project? Why does it not condemn Israel for these repeated bombings?
**************
End/ 345E
