BAGHDAD, June 23 (UPI) -- A senior religious leader in Iraq is calling for an end to the occupation by U.S. forces, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the senior religious figure of Iraq's Shiite Muslim majority expressed "great unease" about the 10-week-old U.S. occupation and demanded Iraqis be allowed to rule themselves.
Sistani, viewed by U.S. officials as a crucial force for moderation in the turbulent postwar aftermath, stopped far short of demanding a withdrawal. A reclusive, scholarly figure in his seventies, Sistani has not been seen in public since before the U.S.-led invasion began in March.
Sistani's statements represent a rare foray for the Iranian-born cleric into political affairs.
While Shiite clergy rarely speak positively about the U.S. occupation, most of the key figures are engaged with the American administration at some level.
