Comments on: The Silence Of The Clerics http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/05/10/silent-clerics/ Thu, 26 Nov 2009 16:42:01 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Mugsy http://wonkroom.thinkprogress.org/2008/05/10/silent-clerics/comment-page-1/#comment-1022 Mugsy Mon, 12 May 2008 02:11:00 +0000 http://thinkprogress.org/wonkroom/2008/05/10/silent-clerics/#comment-1022 This raises a number of questions: Did al-Sadr condemn the violence? This implies that he and his followers are not behind it, as is the conventional wisdom. It also implies that they *have not* been the instigators of past violence. The Bush Administration would have us believe that Iran is arming & training Shia militants like al-Sadr's followers. But if Sadr is out there condemning the violence, it is being perpetrated by people outside of his control... ie: individuals or small independent factions with no established leader. The likelihood that Iran is handing out weapons indiscriminately to any angry individual that asks for them is outside the realm of belief. You can't destabilize an entire government by arming the occasional angry individual one at a time. Is this what we are to believe? This raises a number of questions:

Did al-Sadr condemn the violence? This implies that he and his followers are not behind it, as is the conventional wisdom. It also implies that they *have not* been the instigators of past violence.

The Bush Administration would have us believe that Iran is arming & training Shia militants like al-Sadr’s followers. But if Sadr is out there condemning the violence, it is being perpetrated by people outside of his control… ie: individuals or small independent factions with no established leader.

The likelihood that Iran is handing out weapons indiscriminately to any angry individual that asks for them is outside the realm of belief. You can’t destabilize an entire government by arming the occasional angry individual one at a time. Is this what we are to believe?

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