Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq
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The Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) (Arabic: المجلس الأعلى للثورة الإسلامية في العراق ) is, historically, an Iraqi insurgent group backed by Iran during the Iran-Iraq war, and, presently, an Iraqi political party. Its political support comes from the country's Shi'a Muslim community. Prior to August 2003, SCIRI was led by Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim; its current leader is the ayatollah's brother, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim. In light of its gains in both elections and government appointments, SCIRI is one of Iraq's most powerful political parties and the biggest party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives
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[edit] History
The party was founded in 1982 when the Islamic Dawa Party was severely weakened after its failed assassination attempt on Saddam Hussein. It was largely based in Tehran. A key ideological distinction between SCIRI and al-Dawa is that SCIRI supports the tenet of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that government should be controlled by the ulema (Islamic scholars), while al-Dawa sided with Iraq's Ayatollah Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, who posited that government should be controlled by the ummah (Islamic laity).
Despite this ideological disagreement, several of SCIRI's factions came from al-Dawa before the 2003 invasion of Iraq[1]. This historical intersection is significant because al-Dawa was widely viewed as a terrorist group during the Iran-Iraq war[2]. As of 2006, it is unclear to what extent either SCIRI or al-Dawa should inherit this past reputation.
With the fall of Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Iraq, SCIRI quickly rose to prominence in Iraq, working closely with the other Shi'a parties. It gained popularity among Shiite Iraqis by providing social services and humanitarian aid, following the pattern of Islamist organizations in other countries such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. SCIRI is alleged to receive money and weapons from Iran, and is often accused of being a proxy for Iranian interests. The party leaders have toned down many of the party's public positions and committed it to democracy and peaceful cooperation. SCIRI's power base is in the Shi'a-majority southern Iraq. In the past it had an armed wing, the Badr Organization, with an estimated strength of between 4,000 and 10,000 men. Its Baghdad offices are based in a house that previously belonged to Ba'athist Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
Its leader, Ayatollah al-Hakim, was killed in a car bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Najaf on August 29, 2003. The car bomb exploded as the ayatollah was leaving a religious shrine (Imam Ali Mosque) in the city, just after Friday prayers. The assassination was carried out by al-Qaida in Iraq.[3]
[edit] Politics
It joined the United Iraqi Alliance list for the general election on January 30, 2005 (see Iraqi legislative election, 2005), but filed separate lists in some governorate council elections held on the same day (see for instance Ninawa governorate council election, 2005).
Badr Organization has allegedly been involved in many incidents, in 2005 report appeared that they were attacking and murdering gays in Iraq [1].
[edit] Iranian support
In a BBC interview in London Ghazi al-Yawar , the Sunni Arab sheik cited reports Iran sent close to a million people to Iraq and covertly supplied Shiite religious groups with money to help competing in the elections.But U.S. and Iraqi officials say that many of the migrants crossing the largely unmonitored border are Iraqi Shiite families who fled Saddam Hussein's repression, particularly after the failed Shiite uprising that followed the 1991 Gulf war[4]
[edit] References
- ^ The Post-Saddam Danger from Iran, the New Republic, October 7, 2002
- ^ Chronology of terrorism against Americans, 1979-1988
- ^ Zarqawi kin reportedly bombed shrine in Iraq
- ^ Iraqi Shiite with ties to Iran gains top billing World Security Network 16 December 2004
