Najaf Friday Prayer Leader:

US troops in Iraq must be expelled

Rasa – Hujjat al-Islam al-Qubanchi said that there are no justifications for the presence of more than 6,000 American troops in Iraq and stated that the Iraqi government must take measures to expel them from the country.

News ID: 436317

Date: 09 February 2018 - 23:03

RNA – During his Friday prayer sermon delivered to a large and fervent crowd of believers in the Iraqi city of Najaf’s al-Fatimiyah Husayniyah, Hujjat al-Islam Sayyid Sadruddin al-Qubanchi said, “Given the end of the fight against the Daesh Takfiri terrorist phenomenon and the rising oil prices, the government must not reduce the salaries of government employees.”

The Iraq Shi’ah cleric reacted to the presence of more than 6,000 American forces in Iraq and stressed, “The government must take the necessary measures to end the presence of American forces in Iraq because the Iraqi forces proved that they are capable of expelling the most evil of powers.”

He added that there is no reason for the presence of Americans in Iraq and it imposes a great toll on the country.

Hujjat al-Islam al-Qubanchi condemned the increase in violence and clashes between the Iraqi tribes and stated, “Any clashes and violence between different tribes are condemned by Islamic law and for this reason, the tribes must deal with their problems by engaging in dialogue.”

In the section of his sermon on religious affairs, His Eminence referred to the Tawwabin uprising by a group of the Shi’ah of Kufah in 684 CE, who sought to take vengeance for the blood of Imam Husayn ibn Ali after battle of Karbala, and said, “The Tawwabin had risen to overthrow the Umayyad regime and rose up with the slogan of ‘Ya La-Tharat al-Husayn’ [‘Oh the Avengers of the Blood of al-Husayn.’”

Regarding the virtues of Mosque of Kufah, he said, “Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq says in a hadith, ‘Kufah is one of the gardens of paradise.’”

Referring to the upcoming anniversary of the March 16, 1988 chemical attack on the Iraqi Kurdish city of Halabjah by Saddam’s forces, Hujjat al-Islam al-Qubanchi said, “The liberation of the Iraqi people from the rule of Saddam was a divine blessing.”

The Friday prayer leader of Najaf also honoured the 39th anniversary of the victory of the Islamic Revolution in Iran and said, “The existence of a leader [Imam Khomeyni], the people and the great mission of this revolution succeeded in achieving victory.”

112/976