AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): Ayatollah Sayed Yassin al-Moussawi, the Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader and prominent professor at the Najaf Ashraf Seminary, in his political sermon on September 4, 2026, emphasizing that Iraq is currently facing a crisis in transparency and clarity regarding the new government's program, said, "State-building should not be an end in itself, but must be accompanied by the realization of justice, because a government run without justice will lose its purpose and raison d'être."
He then, referring to the clear effects of government policies in the economic sphere, criticized the continuation of some policies and actions, saying that these measures place more pressure on citizens and force them to pay the cost of losses the state has incurred over the past years.
Warning About the Consequences of the Economic Crisis on Society
Ayatollah al-Moussawi also warned about the consequences of the economic crisis on society and stated, "The decline in people's purchasing power has led to recession and the closure of large sectors of the market, and goods and services that a few years ago were considered ordinary needs or even luxury items have today become unattainable for a significant portion of the Iraqi people."
He added, "The persistence of poverty and livelihood problems has also left its mark on family and social life, leading to an increase in problems and social harms in society."
In the political arena, Ayatollah al-Moussawi criticized the performance of some politicians and said that some of them have become accustomed to retreating in the face of crises and pressures and accommodating circumstances, only to return to their previous approach once the crisis is resolved.
Referring to the prior demands of the supreme religious authority for a change in this political pattern, he emphasized the necessity of selecting new figures and personalities about whom the people have not previously had a negative and unfavorable experience.
The Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader stated, "The conscious nation should not merely remain silent, but must speak up, demand its rights, and hold officials accountable." He called for collective efforts, under the guidance of the supreme religious authority, to create a future political leadership that possesses knowledge, justice, and the ability to govern the country and reform the current situation.
Sharp Criticism of Some Politicians' Dependence on America
Ayatollah al-Moussawi also sharply criticized what he called the dependence of some politicians on America, emphasizing that decision-making on matters related to Iraq's sovereignty, including the issue of arms monopoly in the hands of the state, must be an internal Iraqi matter and should not be influenced by external dictates and pressures.
He also warned about the consequences of surrendering weapons and, by asking who determines "Iraq's interest," expressed concern that such an action would subsequently lead to pressure on resistance commanders and mujahideen, and that its scope would extend to changing the nature, command structure, approach, and religious culture of the Popular Mobilization Forces.
In concluding his sermon, the Baghdad Friday Prayer Leader emphasized, "Iraq's main problem is neither weapons nor oil, but rather 'sovereignty and the independence of political decision-making.'" He called for the formation of a government that is truly the people's government, strives to save citizens and realize justice, and is free from dependence on foreign powers.
Ayatollah Sayed Yassin al-Moussawi concluded his remarks by emphasizing the necessity of reforming the situation of the country, its rulers, and its people, and called for the Iraqi people to achieve all their rights and for the country to regain its independent decision-making and sovereignty, free from foreign interference.
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