Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir Hakim's Speech to Tens of Thousands of Supporters - 2003-05-10

The leader of the largest Shia group in Iraq, who returned to his country after twenty-three years of exile in Iran, called on Iraqis who cheered for him to cooperate in forming an independent government. Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir Hakim, in a speech to tens of thousands of his supporters in the southern city of Basra, stated that he would not accept a government imposed by foreigners. He emphasized that the Iraqi government must be elected by the people of Iraq and be completely independent. Supporters of Ayatollah Hakim welcomed him at the border as he traveled with his caravan to Basra, a stronghold of Shia and the second largest city in Iraq. He is also expected to visit Najaf, a religious and sacred city for Shia Muslims. This influential cleric, now in his sixties, has led the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq since 1980. He fled to Iran in that year after years of opposition to Saddam Hussein, the leader of Iraq. Ayatollah Hakim's close ties with Iran and the military wing of his group, known as the Badr Brigades, have raised concerns in Washington. His Islamic Supreme Council aims to establish Islamic laws at the highest level of power and authority in Iraq. Democratic elections are anticipated in Iraq, but the U.S. does not want the situation in Iraq to evolve into a clerical regime similar to that in Iran.