In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate

There is no doubt that if the popular movement extends to various groups, it will be an effective means to pressure those in power to allow for real reforms in the administration of the country, but the prerequisite is not to drag it into acts of violence, chaos and vandalism. Legally, it will have adverse repercussions on the reformist movement and lead to the decline of solidarity gradually, despite all the precious blood shed in order to achieve the legitimate goals. We must be aware of this and beware of giving the pretext to those who do not want reform to prevent its achievement from this side.

It is the responsibility of the security forces to protect peaceful protesters and to allow them to express their demands freely. It is also the responsibility of the protesters themselves not to allow saboteurs to exploit this title and be embedded in their ranks, leading to attacks against security forces and/or public or private property and harm to the interests of citizens.

Supporting and respecting the security forces, enhancing their morale and encouraging them to play their role in maintaining security and stability as required is the duty of all. These dear, brave men are indispensable in avoiding chaos and disturbing public order, and everyone has noticed what happened in some areas when the security forces could not do what is expected of them. In this regard, the tribal men came up and played a prominent role in the protection of civil peace and the prevention of chaos and devastation, they deserve all the appreciation for this, but things should return to normal including the security forces’ responsibility to maintain the security, stability and protection of government facilities and citizens’ property from attacks by saboteurs, with its commitment to dealing with all the protests professionally, so as not to repeat the tragedies of the past weeks.

We condemn, once again, all the shedding of innocent blood and damage to private property and public institutions during the previous days. We call on all those affected to take legal means to claim their rights, and call upon the judicial authorities to hold accountable and punish anyone who committed a criminal act-from any party- as determined by law.

We reiterate our warning against those who are lurking in the country and seeking to exploit the protests demanding reform to achieve certain goals that undermine the higher interests of the Iraqi people and are not in harmony with their inherent values.

We also reiterate what the Supreme Religious Authority has previously affirmed that it is for all Iraqis without any difference between their affiliations and orientations, and works to secure their public interests as much as possible. Its title should not be used by any of the groups participating in the protests calling for reform.

In conclusion, we hope that the selection of the new prime minister and its members within the constitutional period and according to the aspirations of citizens are away from any external interference, note that the Supreme Religious Authority is not a party in any talk in this regard and has no role in it in any way.

Sheikh Abdul-Mahdi al-Karbalaey

Imam Hussain Holy Shrine

Friday, December 6, 2019