Key Shi’ite backs a democratic secular Iraq

BAGHDAD | American hopes that Iraq will become a democratic secular state with tolerance for religious differences have received a boost with the emergence of 38-year-old Ammar Hakim at the head of one of the largest Shia movements.

Equally important, the man who will lead the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) into parliamentary elections in three months says he is determined that Iraq should not fall under undue influence from its Shi’ite brethren in neighboring Iran.

“It is not logical Iraq would throw itself in the laps of anyone,” said Mr. Hakim, who took charge of the dominating political faction after the death of his father in September. “We are not agents of anyone.”

In one of his first interviews with an American newspaper, Mr. Hakim spoke of the delicate balance between civilian rule and respect for religious authority laid out in Iraq’s constitution.

“Iraq is run as a civilian country but respects the Islamic identity of the country,” he said, drawing a contrast with the formalized rule of religious leaders in Iran. He also said that the Shi’ite majority coalition in parliament was “proud of Iraq’s Arab heritage” and could be a bridge between predominantly Sunni Muslim Arab states and Shi’ite Iran.

Mr. Hakim’s remarks have implications for the entire region because Iran has a history of using allied forces, including Hezbollah and Hamas, to influence events in other countries.

His comments also represent a growing desire by his party to address fears of minority Sunni Arabs as Iraq prepares for national elections in early March. His party is expected to win enough seats to play a key role in choosing the next prime minister.

ISCI, which until 2008 was known as the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq, was founded by Iraqi exiles in Iran in 1982 during the Iran-Iraq war.

The party’s military wing, the Badr Brigade, initially was trained by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards. Sunni Arabs and others have accused the party and its militia of serving as a proxy for Iran, not unlike Hezbollah and Hamas.

In 2005 and 2006, during the worst sectarian fighting in Iraq, militias affiliated with the party played a role in the ethnic cleansing of some neighborhoods of Baghdad.

The party also promoted autonomy for the south, seeking control over oil revenues in a manner similar to that of the Kurds in the north.

Mr. Hakim said that the Badr Brigade is no longer a militia and that many of its members have joined Iraq’s national army. He conceded, however, that even those outside the army are still armed - as are most Iraqis.

“They have sufficient weapons capable to protect themselves and it is legally authorized by the Iraqi government,” he said.

The young cleric said it was in Iraq’s “national interest” to have good relations with Iran, with which Iraq shares historic and religious ties, as well as an 870-mile border. With the exception of Lebanon and the tiny Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, Iraq is the only majority Shi’ite nation in the Arab world.

The Iraqi Constitution, he said, bars legislation that contradicts the “principles of Islam,” but does not establish a religious council to review laws. It also says that freedom of religion should be respected.

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