IRAQ: Iraq's leading preacher urged worshippers yesterday to fight to the death against "followers of the devil", but his fiery sermon also reflected a sense of resignation among Iraqis about a seemingly inevitable war.
Facing the prospect of an increasingly imminent US-led attack to oust President Saddam Hussein, Iraqis crowded into mosques for prayers seeking spiritual reassurance.
"The most critical hour is nearing. It is a test for the believers in their faith. . . and for the Islamic nation in its unity," Sheikh Bakr Samarei told worshippers at Baghdad's Abdel-Qader Kilani mosque. "This will be the time to meet your creator. Fight under the banner of Islam, under the banner of Prophet Mohammed. Your country is a trust in your hands."
Mosques across Baghdad dedicated their sermons to jihad, or holy struggle, against foreign invaders and warned Americans that war against Iraq would cost them dearly.
"Fight the followers of the devil. Those who oppress will see what fate awaits them," Sheikh Samarei said.
But most Iraqis now appear resigned to the prospect of their third war in two decades, having endured a 1980-88 conflict with Iran and more than a decade of UN sanctions over Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Amid the defiant rhetoric, Sheikh Samarei struck a note that captured the deep sense of foreboding in the country.
"This is our fate. . . It is the fate of dying. Martyrdom with dignity is better than a life with indignity and humiliation," he said. "We welcome our meeting with God. We will sacrifice our bodies. Our faith is strong and our victory from God is near."
Sheikh Samarei also blasted Arabs and Muslims who backed the US and Britain, denouncing them as blasphemers.
"To you Americans, to you Britons, to you Zionists: We will fight for Islam, we will fight for the religion of Prophet Mohammed," he said.
"Fight the infidels with your wealth, with yourselves, with your faith.
"By God, we will fight you with every means, with all our might and with all our faith. This is a pledge between us and God."
Sheikh Samarei urged Iraqis to be patient and to unite under God. "Oh God make us defeat the infidels, oh God make us defeat the oppressors. "Oh God make the ground shake under their feet, God strike their soldiers. Oh God protect our country and wealth."
- (Reuters)