Baghdad Ayatollah Embodies Shiite Power

"BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - It's election day and Baghdad's most senior Shiite cleric is reflecting on the momentous rise to power of a community long oppressed by Saddam Hussein.

"Today, we pick the most beautiful and delicious fruit after the liberation of Iraq from oppression, persecution and dictatorship," Ayatollah Hussein Ismail al-Sadr told two reporters Thursday at his heavily guarded home in Baghdad's ancient Kazimiyah district.

He spoke as Iraqis chose a new parliament almost certain to be dominated by Shiites, who represent about 60 percent of the population.

The empowerment of the Shiites is a first in an Arab world dominated by Sunnis, but it has come at a high price. And there is no guarantee that things will go smoothly in Iraq with the Shiites at the helm.

Since the collapse of Saddam's regime in 2003, Shiites have made up the majority of three interim administrations, including the outgoing government of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, an Islamist Shiite loyal to the clergy."
MyWay