Shiite Islamists to shape new Iraq
607711
The election gave a Shiite Islamist slate more than 47 percent, a Kurdish alliance 25 percent, and Allawi's list 14 percent.
764922
NAJAF, Iraq - Militants loyal to firebrand cleric Muqtada al-Sadr said Saturday that they handed over the keys to a revered Muslim shrine to Shiite religious leaders - a big step toward resolving a 2-week-old standoff in the holy city of Najaf.    The militants, however, remain in control of the Imam Ali Shrine while final details of the transfer are worked out, said al-Sadr aide Ahmed al-Shaibany...
621629
An Islamist Shi'ite politician and  former exile emerged as the front-runner to become Iraq's new  prime minister Tuesday as horse-trading to decide the line-up  of the next government entered the final stages.
65871
Shiite Muslims are leading an 'axis of resistance' that unnerves Sunnis and challenges the US and Israel. Part 1 of two
665580
BAGHDAD -- Iraq's future political landscape began taking shape yesterday, as a coalition led by powerful Shi'ite Muslim groups revealed a few of its candidates in next month's parliamentary election. They include former exiles, a prominent cleric, and members of the interim government.
382021
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A pared-down delegation of Iraqis arrived in Najaf by helicopter Tuesday to present radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr with a peace proposal aimed at ending the violent insurgency wracking the holy city.    Despite the delegation's presence there, fighting intensified in Najaf, with at least one U.S...
222480
Iraq&#39;s Shia Muslims have joined forces to create the countryâs first serious post-war political coalition, which could well sweep to power in elections scheduled for the end of next month.
444336
BAGHDAD, Iraq - Despite the steady clang of mortar shells outside and persistent violence in the country, many delegates at the opening on Sunday of Iraq's National Conference held out hope that this first fragile taste of democracy would succeed.   "So far, so good," said delegate Saad Qindeel, from the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, the country's largest religious group...
562621
Iraq's main Shiite Muslim alliance expects to win the biggest share in the country's National Assembly but not enough to push through a political agenda or claim the prime minister's job without support from other parties &#151; notably the Kurds.
71591
The Iraqi Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, announces the "rebuilding" of his Mehdi Army militia.
552073
Iran could play a crucial role in curbing Iraq's Shiite militias if the U.S. opens a dialogue with Tehran as recommended by the Iraq Study Group, many in the Mideast say.
544455
Several major political parties are in talks to form a coalition to break the influence of the radical Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, Iraqi officials say.
261137
Established Shiite parties and powerful upstarts are feuding, causing their leading cleric to try to pull them together to ensure that the Shiites clearly dominate the new government.
309466
An idea to redraw the map to give religious and ethnic groups more autonomy is gaining traction in Iraq and the US.
459986
NAJAF, Iraq  - Top aides of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr prepared to hand over control of a holy shrine at the center of a crisis in Najaf on Friday to representatives of Iraq&#39;s top ayatollah, a Sadr spokesman said.
731566
Iraqi political and religious leaders prepared to go to the holy city of Najaf on Tuesday in a last-ditch bid to persuade a radical Shi'ite cleric to end a rebellion that has killed hundreds and rattled oil markets.
68890
NAJAF, Iraq - Hoping to end weeks of fighting in Najaf, Iraq's top Shiite cleric unexpectedly returned home from Britain on Wednesday armed with a new peace initiative and a call for Iraqis across the country to march on the holy city to demand an end to the fighting.    Grand Ayatollah Ali Husseini Al-Sistani, who wields enormous influence among Shiite Iraqis, had previously declined to get involved in resolving the violent conflicts roiling the nation, and it was unclear why he suddenly changed his mind...