Najaf - what is happening...

There are some interesting stories coming out of Najaf these days now that Sistani is coming back to open a can of Whoop-Ass on the pretender to the throne Sadr. This first link is from a blog written by an Iraqi: Healing Iraq I excerpt starting partway through the third paragraph -- the 'He' in this case is Ahmed Al-Shaibani, a deputy of Sadr: bq. He also mentioned that all negotiations with Sistani's office on the current status of the shrine have been 'suspended'. Sistani seems to have given instructions to his office in Najaf not to accept the keys to the holy shrine unless a neutral committee inspects the contents of the shrine and an inventory is made to ensure nothing is missing from the treasury of the shrine. bq. This treasury which is located inside a safe locked basement beneath the shrine contains historical artifacts, priceless manuscripts and a significant amount of gold and gems. These have been gifted and donated to the shrine by Shia from all over the world for centuries. No one has ever dared touch that treasury except the family that holds the keys to the shrine. Radhwan Al-Rufai'i was forced to give over the keys to one of Sadr's aides last April. Al-Rufai'i had taken over the responsibilities of the shrine after his cousin Haider Al-Kelidar who was murdered with Abdul Majid Al-Khoe'i on 10 April 2003 by Sadr's followers. bq. Sistani's office has been placing these obstacles on Sadr in response to rumours that a large part of the treasury has been stolen and possibly smuggled to Iran. If true, Sadr would be in a very bad position since he was practically responsible for the shrine's contents and would also expose him as the gangster he is. The second link is from the Toronto Star and provides some back-story: bq. Al-Sistani, 75, the country's most respected Shiite cleric, left for London on Aug. 6, one day after the clashes erupted. He underwent an angioplasty to unblock a coronary artery Aug. 13 and was recuperating, when his office suddenly announced Wednesday morning he was returning to the country "to stop the bloodshed." And the money quote: bq. Police also arrested several al-Sadr aides with valuables from the shrine in their possession, al-Jazaari said. One of al-Sadr's top lieutenants, Sheik Ali Smeisim, was among those arrested, police officials said on condition of anonymity. Thugs and gangsters masquerading as religious leaders. Good to see that a real leader has returned and is cleaning out the trash.