A memorial statement

April 9th passes to bring back to minds images painted by the imagination of every young Iraqi man and woman from every sect of the country, and from each of its components, those images and imaginations that were associated with the displacement of a junta that wanted to steal hope from the souls of young people and the smiles from the lips of children, as well as wanting Iraq to remain under the control of its executioners dwelling deep in darkness, but the people stood up to them, and achieved what the they wanted, they defeated the tyrant of the Baath regime and removed it from its roots in the Holy Iraq.

On April 9, Iraqis commemorate the heinous crime committed by the Baath regime, who executed a divine scholar, loyal to his religion and homeland, Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammad Baqir Al-Sadr (Allah bless his soul) and his sister, the Alawite martyr Bint Al-Huda, the scholar who spoke to Shiites and Sunni in one language and was an advocate of unity and a platform for cohesion against injustice and tyranny. The crime of executing martyr Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr set a precedent in the modern history of Iraq, as the scholars who were respected, honored, and important to the Iraqi people had the sanctity of their blood and the sanctity of their knowledge violated by the execution of martyr Al-Sadr. This crime, which was carried out by Saddam's regime, reflects in its nature and circumstances, the short-sightedness of that regime and its lack of awareness of Iraqi people’s nature, who are jealous of their religion and homeland. This criminal act opened the door to a series of sacrifices, convoys of martyrs and dignified epic acts, which were written by the Iraqi people in all their components in challenging the power of that executioner, so they continued to sacrifice for their religion and their homeland until at the end of their sacrifices, the regime fell and the Iraqi people remained proud and dignified of tyrants as they had been since the beginning.

The coincidence of the anniversary of the execution of Martyr Al-Sadr with the anniversary of liberation is a reason for all Iraqis to remember that the path of tyranny does not last and that the path of scholars is the call for unity, cohesion, dialogue and reconciliation, not the path of distance, division and rivalry, the word of the scholars is the word of the one nation and the people, that word brings bright future for all people of this country, including its scientists and martyrs, to keep the pure blood of the martyr Al-Sadr and all martyrs as a beacon of freedom, giving it the scent of belonging to a united Iraq.

Rafidain Center for Dialogue (RCD).

April 9, 2018