The reasons behind the new stands of ISCI, the major Shiite party in Iraq

Following his father’s death and his appointment as the new leader of Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq or ISCI, Ammar al-Hakim, has made several changes in his party’s policy.


During a press conference held in Amman in November 18th, al-Hakim called for the engagement of the Baathists in the political process “to build the country with the exception of those involved in killing Iraqi people”, who he described as “Saddamists”. Hakim said “All parties have the right to participate in the political process, and to get involved in the project of national reconciliation, so as the political process continues. We do not want to exclude any Iraqis”. He added “Baathists’ dossier should be closed. It is not reasonable to keep it open forever. There should be a distinction between Baathists and Saddamists.” He explained “Saddamists are those who have got blood on their hands and are suspects of being behind the bombings that took place recently in Baghdad”.


In the meantime, Ali al-Lami, the head of the “Accountability and Justice Commission” which was called before “De-Baathification Commission” said the commission was studying the rejection of a number of electoral lists because their leaders might have been affected by the commission’s law which prohibits Baathists from participating in parliamentary elections under Article 7 of Iraqi Constitution.

Islamic Dawa Party which is led by PM Nuri al-Maliki described al-Hakim s statement as “being in line with the government’s policy”. MP Abdul Hadi al-Hassani of Islamic Dawa said “Baath as a political party has been banned by Iraqi constitution. Baathists who were not involved in crimes against Iraqi people have the right to participate in the political process.”

A spokesman for the ISCI, Rida Jawad Taqi said “ISCI believes in the national reconciliation and what al-Hakim said did not signal a change in the party’s stand toward Baath Party as he just wanted to clarify ISCI’s position on the banned party.” He added “ISCI does not consider all the elements of Baath murders and it has distinguished those whose hands are stained with blood of Iraqi people and those who were forced to join the ranks of Baath without having any role in crimes committed by the party.”

Iraqi List’s spokesman, MP Jamal al-Batikh said “The new statement of ISCI’s leader is a reflection of a positive change in ISCI’s policy.”

Al-Tawafuq which represents Sunni Arabs has not shown great enthusiasm. MP Rajaa Hamdun of Al-Tawafuq said that the statement was not new but it was important if will be applied on the ground. She added that the statement might be meant to court Ayad Allawi’s new National Alliance.

The first change Ammar al-Hakim made was related to the issue of Kirkuk which Kurds want to annex to their semi-independent Kurdistan region. In a public statement, al-Hakim stressed the Iraqi identity of Kirkuk as “it is a multi-ethno/sectarian microcosm of Iraq”. ISCI of al-Hakim, the father, was very much in favour of standing for the Kurds’ interests and it supported their objections to Article 23 of Iraqi Constitution which stresses dealing with Kirkuk as a special case to prevent Kurds from annexing it to their Kurdistan region. The position of ISCI during al-Hakim the father’s life was to the extent that its representatives walked out of parliament in solidarity with the Kurdistan Alliance. ISCI’s new stand is read that ISCI has started a fierce electoral competition with Al-Maliki’s electoral list, the State of Law, on the votes of Arabs and Turkomans in Kirkuk and throughout Iraq. ISCI has realised that abandoning some of its old political principles is necessary to win the next general elections due early next year.


Approaching Baathists is not the only change which Ammar al-Hakim has made since succeeded his late father few months ago as there have been gossips going around that SICI’s demand for federal state in central and south Iraq, the demand that ISCI unrelentingly defended during al-Hakim the father’s life, might be given up. In addition to that, in his recent statements, Ammar has stressed that “Iraq is part of Arab and Islamic world”, this kind of statement did not exist in the literature of SICI before.


Observes interpret the new changes embraced by ISCI’s leader, Ammar al-Hakim, as influence of ISCI’s leaders who could not find the opportunity or did not dare to ask for making such changes during al-Hakim the father’s life. The new stands of SICI have been also interpreted as just electoral campaign which SICI has started in the run up to the next general elections due early 2010. The pressure imposed by US government on SICI to bring about political reconciliation that does not exclude the Baath Party has been also attributed to the new changes embraced by ISCI under Ammar Al-Hakim’s leadership.

Whether ISCI’s new stands are meant to be implemented or not is yet to be seen. Iraqi politics is unpredictable and Iraqi political conflict is getting very fierce in the run up to the general parliamentary elections 2010.

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