Sunni Clerics Reverse Position

Prominent Sunni Arab clerics who had condemned the new Iraqi government opened the door Friday to participation of their followers in the country’s army and police.

Their fatwa, or religious edict, offered a ray of hope on a day of continued violence when bombers damaged one of Iraq’s most cherished religious monuments and thousands of Shiite Muslim pilgrims remained overnight in Karbala rather than risk being attacked on their journey home after marking Arbayeen, the end of the sect’s holiest period of the year.

Sixty-four Sunni clerics signed the edict declaring that “the security of the people and the country is a duty.”

They set three conditions, however, including an order “not to support occupation forces at the expense of Iraqis.”

Although the conditions made it unclear whether followers could serve alongside U.S. military forces, an Iraqi government spokesman said it was a clear sign that the clerics have “got the message that the future of Iraq depends on us all standing on the same side.”

The shift is not likely to cause a wave of Sunni enlistments, said Interior Ministry spokesman Sabah Kadhim. Sunni Arabs, who make up about 20% of the population, already are represented in the Iraqi armed forces, Kadhim said.

But the insurgency is dominated by Sunni Arabs, and the religious leaders’ decision to boycott the January national election was seen as tacit support for the rebels. Some radical clerics have publicly condoned violence against Americans.

The announcement was made by Sheik Ahmad Abdul-Ghafoor Samarrai, of Baghdad’s Umm Qura Mosque, during his Friday sermon. He also is a member of the Muslim Scholars Assn., a hard-line Sunni group.

Kadhim said the most important effect of the edict would be on the civilian population.

“It’s the people we’re after,” he said. The edict will help enlist ordinary people who currently “are not helping us through [providing] information about terrorists and are harboring terrorists.”

In Samarra, a city of ancient monuments 60 miles north of Baghdad, a bombing Friday damaged one of Iraq’s most distinctive structures, a 9th-century spiral minaret. At least two witnesses said the blast had opened a hole in the top of the tower, but others described the damage as superficial.

Deputy Culture Minister Maysoon Damluji in the interim government said she planned to send an assessment team to the site.

The 170-foot tower was part of a mosque built by Abbasid Caliph Al Mutawakkil around 850 AD. The mosque stayed in use until the 11th century, but only its exterior wall remains today. The minaret, wrapped in a spiral staircase, stands apart. It is an august presence among other remnants of the former Abbasid capital, considered one of the world’s most important archeological sites.

Damluji criticized the U.S. Army, which had occupied the tower until a few days ago, for leaving it unprotected.

“They should have guarded it,” she said.

In October, U.S. and Iraqi forces stormed the Sunni-dominated city, considered a base for insurgents. A spokesman for the U.S. Army’s 42nd Infantry Division confirmed that American forces had recently pulled out of the city. He said the army had made no commitment to protect the site.

Samarra residents said they saw men climb the tower about 6:30 a.m. and leave before the explosion, but it was unclear who the bombers were.

Sheik Majid Omar Imam of the Ali Mosque denounced them as “cowards.” Others railed at the various parties in the ongoing conflict.

“I blame terrorists as well as the government and police because they cannot provide for these historical sites’ protection,” said Khalid Yousif, an engineer. “We also blame the American forces because for the past three months it has used this minaret as a base for snipers.”

Citing operational security, the army spokesman declined to comment on the military’s activities at the minaret.

In the south, thousands of Shiite pilgrims began streaming out of Karbala at the close of the 40-day mourning period that begins with Ashura. Many had walked from across the country to the town to commemorate the seventh-century martyrdom of Imam Hussein, grandson of prophet Muhammad.

Thousands, however, delayed their departure until Friday morning, fearing attacks, Associated Press reported. Last year 181 worshipers were killed in bombings at shrines in Baghdad and Karbala.

Also Friday, Iraqi forces reported killing five insurgents in a gun battle in Samarra. In the northern city of Kirkuk, three people, including a child, were reported dead after a bomb exploded near a Sunni mosque.

In Balad Ruz, Col. Tatam Rasheed Mohammed, the police chief, was shot dead early Friday on his way to check on a police station. Another officer and a policeman also were injured.

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Times staff writer Saif Rasheed and special correspondents in Baqubah, Kirkuk and Samarra contributed to this report.