by Muhsen Hussein, Laith Salman     

    BAGHDAD, April 8 (Xinhuanet) -- The resistance led by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada Al Sadr against the coalition forces has embarrassed the interim Iraqi Governing Council (IGC) and Iraqi religious leaders.

    They could not criticize the Sadr movement for it would mean approving the occupation forces, nor could they approve the movement for fearing it would lead to blood bath with the killing of hundreds of Iraqis.

    The Great Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani, a prominent Shiite leader who is known to be not on good terms with Sadr, issued a statement condemning the methods adopted by the coalition forces in dealing with the events.

    But Al Sistani also spoke against Sadr's followers without specifically naming them.

    "We condemn attacking private and public properties, and any action causing disorder or preventing Iraqi officials from doing their duties in serving the people," said Al Sistani.

    The statement called on all parties to deal with the issue wisely and through peaceful means, to refrain from any tensioning step which would lead to more chaos and blood shed.

    "All political and social powers should actively participate in putting an end to these tragedies," the statement said.

    The Scientific Hawza, which groups senior clergymen of the Shiites and headed by Sistani, issued a statement which demanded AlSadre comply with Sistani's plea.

    The statement asked Al Sadre to refrain from using violence and respect the law.

    Meanwhile, the US-appointed IGC is highly criticized by the Iraqis for being passively silent about the hard conditions befalling the country and Iraqi demonstrators demanded the IGC be more decisive and clearer in its attitudes towards the issue.

    But the IGC was split because some of its members, under US pressure, criticized Sadr's resistance without mentioning the massacres committed by the Americans and some of the major Shiite parties, like the Dawa Party and the Higher Council of Islamic Revolution in Iraq, did not announce their attitudes toward the event.

    Mudhar Shaukat, a member of the Iraqi National Conference party headed by the Pentagon-supported IGC member Ahmed Al Chalabi, openly criticized the IGC for its condemnation of the killing of the Americans in Fallujah, 50 km west of Baghdad.

    "Hundreds of Iraqis are being slaughtered and the hospitals are full of them, but we find the IGC silence," said Shaukat.

    "It is about time for the IGC, or at least the leaders of the active national parties, to prove that they are really capable of facing the events that befall the country, by taking courageous stands emerging from the wide bases that these parties claim they have," he added.

    Shaukat pointed out that he does not hold the occupation authorities as the only one responsible, the IGC shares the responsibility with them for it could not determine the good Iraqisfrom the bad one due to lack of criteria.

    The Islamic Dawa Party, represented in the council by Ibrahim AlJafary, issued a statement condemning the "terrorist and sabotage actions."

    "We reject the abstract reaction policy by using military force before thinking of containing the situation and peacefully dealing with it," said the statement without naming the parties it meant.

    Ayad Allawi, a member of the IGC presidential board, tried to seek the help of a Shiite figure from Al Sadr's family, Great Ayatollah Hussein Al Sadre.

    Allawi met the prominent cleric Tuesday in Kadhimiyah in centralBaghdad and tried to take an announcement from him.

    "We will be with you in preserving the security of the country, and we need the cooperation of the sincere people," said Hussein AlSadr without any reference to his relative, Muqtada, or his movement.

    Hussein Al Sadr was not known for any political activity, so Iraqis were surprised when US State Secretary Colin Powell visited him in his house and had diner with him during one of his visits toIraq last year.

    Powell then announced that this man would take a prominent role in the future of Iraq and everybody is waiting to see the post thatwould be assigned to Hussein Al Sadr.

    It is believed that Allawi had asked Hussein Al Sadr to mediate with Muqtada Al Sadr to avoid any more violence. Enditem