ISCI’s President Al Hakim: “We Do Not Have Any Enemies in the Election”

Al Hakim shared his point of views regarding Turkey's attitude towards Iraqi Shia, Al Hakim family's role within Iraqi Shiites and expectations about the post American withdrawal era. 

ORSAM: Mr. Sayed Ammar Al Hakim, would you mind elaborating the results of your visit in Turkey?

MR. HAKIM:  We found that there is an opportunity for strategic relations between Turkey and Iraq. Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq (ISCI) is specifically adopting such a theory. We are trying to use our influence to implement this. There are practical and logical considerations making us feel the importance of such an alliance. In addition to the geographical position we are neighboring countries. We always hoped that Turkey can actually have the membership of EU.  Because after all it will help as a window for Iraq, regarding the relations with EU. We are very pleased for the policy of Turkey’s openness towards Iraq and Arabic countries. I believe that long and friendly discussions that we had with the officials in Turkey during the last years were very important and useful. We’ve been always seeking for such opportunities and practical relations, Iraqi-Turkish relationship, and ISCI with Turkey relationship we believe in such a raising relation. Politics, security and economics and others can all be done within mutual frame. We can benefit from the increasing role of Turkey such as in reconstruction projects in Iraq. Also the importance role of democracy in Turkey and getting benefit from their experiences is important for us. The diversity in Turkey and success to unite those elements positively is an experience that Iraqis can benefit from. Turkish openness towards the relations with the others and not being cuffed with the physiological barriers is very important to learn from.

What do you think should be Turkey’s attitude towards Iraqi Shia people? What are the positive and missing points in this relationship?

We don’t look at this situation as if Turkey should build special relations with Shia and isolate the others. But we hope to see openness in relations from Turkey towards all Iraqis   in the same level as it is now. And to see that they are having mutual interest with the areas which have majority of Shia population. We can build an equation that can overcome the negative things of the past. 

Do you think the Iraqi Shia reality has been recognized by all neighboring and regional countries? 

We always hoped to see Turkey playing an open role towards all of the Iraqi groups. This is why we welcomed very much when Turkey opened their consulate in Basra, Mousul and Arbil. With all our respect to Ottoman Empire in the past, but we know they didn’t deal in a fair way with Iraqi Shia. But we should not forget when the Ottoman Empire became under an attack by the British occupation the Iraqi Shia people were the first to defend the Ottomans at that time.

Has the Shia reality in Iraq been recognized by all neighbouring and regional countries?

I think we should be more patient. We should give more time to some of our brothers in order to realise the realities. We also evaluate the situation of Shia as a new power emerged in the region. It’s not because of an urgent reality. But because during the long history the majority people of Iraq were prevented from their rights for long periods of times. Today we are not expecting that the majority will go ahead and rule only by itself. We are working to see it as a real partnership in this country. I touched the sense of a new understanding from those countries towards this issue. And there is more desire for having better relationships after the election. I hope that judging on the Iraqi affairs will not be based on sectarianism because of the diversity we have amongst the different components.

Al Hakim family, since Grant Ayetullah Seyyid Muhsin Al Hakim has played a historical role in Iraqi Shia movement. What would you like to tell us about this leading role in the light of Iraqi Shia struggle?

The role of this family is to strengthen the patriotic spirit of all the components of Iraq, not only for Iraqi Shia.  We are always proud when we take a look at our history during the early 50’s till present time. This is in the modern history. But of course the contributions of this family goes deeper that, and late Imam Muhsin al Hakim participated in the Al-Eshsreen Revolution which took place in 1920 in Iraq. We saw that this religious authority (The Marja’i of Imam Muhsin  Al Hakim) had  played a significant role in demanding the rights of all the Muslim people, and  not only Shia people. Imam Muhsin Al Hakim defended Sunni, Kurd, Christian and other brothers or groups’ rights as well. Of course tens of sons of Imam Al Hakim were later on martyred while demanding the rights of the Iraqi people. We are nowadays proud that 65 members of this family are among the martyrs on the path of demanding Iraqi people’s rights. So this position that the family gained during the history of this country was through sacrifices and honorary situations.

Could you please lighten about the special mission of ISCI for Iraqi Shia now and in the future?

ISCI from day it was founded, till now, and in the future has a project to serve all Iraqi people not only Shia. The slogans we were raising all the time are freedom, independence and justice. These three principals are for all Iraqi and not only for Shia. There is an acceptable level of freedom achieved until now. We are concentrating more to achieve the full independence for the country. And also to achieve the social justice, through making the life of the Iraqi citizens more prosper, and activating the reconstruction, strengthening the partnership between all Iraqi groups in administrating the country, providing equal opportunities for all the citizens, and building balanced relationships with regional countries and the world.

What is the significance of this election for the Iraq and Iraqi people?

This young experiment in Iraq showed many strength and weak points. Iraqis are looking towards the upcoming elections as a new step for the democracy in Iraq and as a start for a new phase than can benefit from the experiences of the past. Taking in consideration that after seven years Iraqi people now a day’s knows better about the different political movements, parties, politicians and other figures. That’s why we think that this coming elections will reflect more than before Iraqi people’s choice for their future. The positive political developments, such as the reconciliation process, security progress, evacuation of the foreign troops.  We expect some economical developments after giving the recent permissions for oil companies last month. Because it’s expected that within the next six years we are going to reach a crucial production of 12 million barrels a day. All of such matters makes everybody to be optimistic that Iraq is going to keep forward after elections.

How many seats is ISCI expecting in the upcoming election?

We hope to see Iraqi National Alliance on the top of other blocks. It’s the block which will be able to contain and contact positively other blocks.  We are going to organize the distributions of the seats internally after the elections.

How do you evaluate the alliance of a Shia leader with the old Baathists in this upcoming election?

We respect everyone. In constitutional conditions everybody have the right to participate in the elections. As we have been saying that ISCI does not have any enemies in the election. Everyone who believes in the political process is going to be a competitive during the elections and a partner after the elections. But we always believed that such kind of lists or blocks are created just to find more opportunities during the elections. And they don’t have a joint certain programme or agenda. Such blocks don’t last very long. In additions we need more moderate voices in the upcoming election. Extreme voices will not gain support in this process.

How was the performance of Maliki’s government? What are your main criticisms about the Prime Minister?

First of all let me say that it’s not the government of Maliki. It was the government of National Unity. Secondly the performance was not all bad. There were positive and negative elements. There were positive achievements in the security and we all participated in that. As for the negative things happened, everybody should take responsibility, according to their positions, and ways of dealing with the events. We are trying to built country or the state institutions, where the authorities should be respected. But of course we need more efforts and time to reach such a level of a state. We think there were some obstacles and problems in the past experiment. We need to diagnose those in order to overcome such problems. Iraqi National Alliance brought 80 experts from different fields of knowledge to get their experiences. There were many specialized committees formed to evaluate what happened during the past period and to present a kind of a programme or an agenda for the future. We are very happy to say that we have a programme that can overcome the mistakes and problems of the past, and head forward in better ways.

What sort of coalition government formulas may appear after the elections? With which parties can ISCI join in a coalition?

We have a scientific programme. Who ever read this programme and believe in its principals will be welcomed by us during the next stage. We are still having discussion with the different political groups to reach the level of forming a (National Front) and we crossed very good steps forward in this regard. This is why we are optimistic that the next Iraqi government will be representing widely all the Iraqi components and groups. This is if God willing the Iraqi National Alliance is going to win. We see that there is a connection between political stability, security of the country, and the leading of the (E’tilaf)- or- The National alliance, for the next stage. Because our national alliance is the only which enjoys good relations with all the other parties and blocks.

What will happen after US withdraw? What is your expectation?

We expect strengthening the sovereignty of our country, more reliance of the Iraqis on themselves, more security. Because as the old Arabic saying (the people of Mekke knows better about their affairs) this explains that people who are living in a certain place know more about their problems and how to solve them. We didn’t wish to see that type of relations between Iraq and United States concentrating all time on military relations only. We didn’t think in the past that the foreign troops should take the task of the changing process. We are looking forward to have political, economical, educational, and social relations and exchange of interest with US and the others.         

* This interview was conducted on 7 February 2010 in Baghdat by Veysel Ayhan (ORSAM Advisor/Abant izzet Baysal University Int.Rel.) and Ogün Duru (Managing Editor in ORSAM).

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