“Idol of Britain… The Wax Priest” British General Richard Dannatt: In his book “Leading from the Front,” British General Richard Dannatt speaks about the authority of Ayatollah Sistani, where he says: “I see that the best of our service in Iraq is Ayatollah Sistani, who has helped us in various ways. I remember the words of his representative, the mediator of Sistani, who told me in our first meeting: ‘This is not a statement, but a matter between us and you.’ I smiled at him and nodded my head to indicate acceptance of what he said, for I knew that in Iraq they have a religious figure whose image should always be polished and sacred. I also knew very well that the Iraqi people considered us impure and descendants of demons.” Indeed, the general paid Ayatollah Sistani a sum of $500 million to delete videos of Sistani’s representative and his trusted person in three provinces in southern Iraq, “Manaf al-Naji,” following a moral and sexual scandal, when pornographic videos of Sistani’s representative in southern Iraq were spread. They asked me through a message that reached me in London to contact Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, the founders of YouTube, and in their message, they said in detail: “We will pay any amount they request in order to remove those videos, which have been widely spread.” An agreement was reached and Ayatollah Sistani’s office was paid half a billion dollars to remove those videos?!” Richard added in his memoirs: “I had close relationships with many Iraqi politicians whom we used to meet in London before the last war, as well as with some religious figures with whom my government had previous cooperation in facilitating entry and movement in the regions of Iraq, especially the southern regions. The officials in Britain told me that there is a reference named Sistani who will issue a fatwa to halt military operations against our forces and the U.S. forces, and that officials in Britain have made various deals with Sistani for the benefit of both parties when Sistani was a guest in London in 2004. Representatives from Sistani’s office contacted me repeatedly, conveying Sistani’s greetings, and I expressed my gratitude to him personally because he issued what is called a “restraint fatwa” against our forces and the U.S. forces. This fatwa was a turning point in the conflict in Iraq, and it helped us achieve our goals in the region. The officials in Britain considered this fatwa a great achievement, as it contributed to reducing the violence and creating a favorable environment for our forces to operate. I had a strong relationship with Sistani, and I maintained contact with him even after I left my military post. I visited him in Najaf during my civilian visit to Iraq, and he received me warmly and expressed his appreciation for the role played by the British forces in Iraq. He also expressed his concerns about the security situation in Iraq and the challenges facing the country. I assured him that Britain would continue to support Iraq in its efforts to achieve security, stability, and prosperity.
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