25 November, 2005: IRAQ Friday Sermon

Karbala News Network on 25 November carries a dispatch datelined Baghdad saying in a press statement released by his bureau, Shaykh Muhammad al-Ya'qubi urged Iraqis to participate in the upcoming elections. According to the dispatch, Shaykh Al-Ya'qubi advised the citizens to place the national interests above personal interests and urged "intellectuals, thinkers, and preachers to continue enlightening the nation so that it can exercise its right precisely."

The dispatch also says that in his Friday sermon, Shaykh Abd-al-Mahdi al-Karbala'i called on Iraqis "to vote for the right person in the upcoming general elections; the one who upholds national and religious constants and the higher interests of the people."

Moreover, the dispatch says that in his sermon, Hazim al-A'raji, Friday imam of Al-Azamiyah, said "Al-Sadr Current will send members of Al-mahdi Army to Diyala Governorate to help maintain security," adding: "The leaders of Al-Sadr Current have noticed the absence of government security forces and lack of government control in the areas of Abi-Sayda and Khanaqin in Diyala."

The dispatch says that Sadr-al-Din al-Qabanji, Friday imam of Al-Najaf and a leader in the Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, said the Cairo meeting on Iraqi reconciliation achieved "positive results" despite Arab League attempts to restore Ba'thists, defend Sunnis under the excuse of marginalization, and polish the image of the Arab league before the United States.