DIWANIYAH, Iraq (AFP) — An imam of a prominent Shiite mosque in the city of Diwaniyah has been detained by Iraqi forces, an official said Saturday, sparking fresh rivalry between Iraq's two main Shiite groups.
Sheikh Hussein al-Karbalaie, imam of the Imam Ali mosque which is run by the movement of radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, was arrested on Friday as he was leading the weekly prayers, the official in Diwaniyah governorate told AFP.
"Iraqi forces arrested him as he was speaking against the government and according to the law anyone who uses abusive language against the government can be arrested," the official said.
The Sadr movement accused its rival, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council (SIIC) headed by powerful Shiite politician Abdel Aziz al-Hakim, of instigating the arrest in a bid to weaken the Sadrists ahead of local elections due in October.
The province of Diwaniyah in central Iraq is currently under the control of SIIC.
"What happened in Diwaniyah is unfortunate. The SIIC leaders are trying to eliminate the Sadrists from the city ahead of the elections," said Salah al-Obeidi, spokesman for the Sadr movement in the holy city of Najaf.
"Security forces stormed the mosque during the Friday prayers and beat the imam and wounded 25 others without justification. If at all he was wanted they should have waited outside, not storm in like this and scare the Sadrists."
Sheikh Jalal al-din al-Saghir, a SIIC lawmaker, denied the allegations.
"The accusation by the Sadrists is part of a wrong analysis. They always throw their darts the wrong way," he said.
"We as SIIC are not interfering in government work and those who do not observe the law must face the consequences. The Sadr movement's accusation is a surprise to us and we reject it."
Iraq is set to hold elections in all 18 provinces in a bid to give the local administrations more power, especially to undertake economic projects.
The Sadr movement has said it will not participate directly in the ballot but will support independent candidates.
Saghir said he hoped the Sadrists would refrain from issuing such accusations in the run-up to the polls.
"Such wrong policies have exposed them to big losses in Basra and Sadr City," Saghir said referring to intense firefights between Sadr's militia and security forces in the southern city of Basra and in Sadr City, the cleric's stronghold in Baghdad.
Hundreds of people were killed in gunbattles fought from March 25 to May 10 before a ceasefire came into effect.
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