Top Shiite Cleric Raises Concerns on January Vote
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Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has threatened to withdraw his support for nationwide elections unless changes are made to the electoral system.
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While calls mount among Sunnis to  postpone this month's Iraqi election, the reclusive Shi'ite  leader Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani is mobilizing thousands of  clerics to get out the vote.
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Influential members of Muqtada al-Sadr's movement have urged the anti-U.S. Shiite cleric not to extend a cease-fire when it expires next month, officials said Monday, a move that could jeopardize recent security gains.
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This week's intense clashes between the Iraqi army and a Shiite militia are part of a strategy to whittle away the power of a radical cleric. But the high-risk gambit could trigger more fighting across the Shiite south &#151; at a time when the cleric's stronghold in the capital is virtually off-limits.
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BAGHDAD - Radical Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr could end a ban on his militia's activities because of rising anger over US and Iraqi raids against his followers, an aide said yesterday amid concerns about rising violence and clashes between rival factions in the mainly Shi'ite south.
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Sunni Muslim clerics in Iraq have called for a boycott of the country&#39;s nationwide elections in January. The chief of the Association of Muslim Scholars, Harith al-Dhari, said Tuesday the boycott
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WASHINGTON -- The leaders of Iraq and Jordan warned yesterday that Iran is trying to influence the Iraqi elections scheduled for Jan. 30 to create an Islamic government that would dramatically shift the geopolitical order between Shi'ite and Sunni Muslims in the Middle East.
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(Baghdad, Iraq -AP, Nov. 27, 2004 1:15 PM) _ Shiite Muslim religious leaders in Iraq are rejecting any delay in holding elections.
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The volatile cleric was praised when he said he was freezing his militia. But U.S. officers on the ground are doubtful it will make much difference on the streets
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Iraq&#39;s majority Shiites have unveiled a major alliance ahead of next month&#39;s landmark elections that is backed by their highest religious leader - but which excludes radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr.
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With three months left before a landmark election, a group of hard-line Sunni Muslim clerics may hold the key to Iraq's future.
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NAJAF, Iraq  - Iraqi Shiite leaders braced for greater violence but vowed to push ahead with elections in January after twin car bombs claimed the lives of 66 people in the pilgrimage cities of Najaf and Karbala.
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STATE DEPARTMENT The State Department is reacting with caution to reports of a radical Shiite cleric&#39;s acceptance of a peace plan for Najaf.
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The candidate list endorsed by Iraq's top Shiite cleric is likely to emerge as the dominant political group in Sunday's election. But his followers said Monday they aren't looking to create a cleric-led Islamic state, and expectations are they won't be strong enough to govern on their own.
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Iran's top cleric told rival factions on Wednesday not to "destroy" each other in campaigning for March elections, expected to pit backers of hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad against more moderate politicians.
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Some top politicians are concerned Iranian influence will affect the new democratic process.
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The leaders of Iraq and Jordan warned yesterday that Iran is trying to influence the Iraqi elections scheduled for Jan. 30 to create an Islamic government that