Sunni Arab Clerics Call on Iraqis to Vote
13 December 2005
Sunni Arab clerics in Iraq have issued a religious edict (fatwa) urging Iraqis to vote in Thursday's crucial parliamentary election.
The edict Tuesday from the Sunni Endowment has the support of hundreds of clerics . It raises hope that Sunni Arabs will vote in much higher numbers than in January's election. Most Sunni Arabs boycotted that vote, limiting their representation in the interim assembly.
Tough security measures will be in place to protect voters, despite calls from some insurgent groups to their loyalists not to attack polling stations.
Outside Iraq, expatriates began casting their ballots Tuesday in 15 countries.
Meanwhile, gunmen assassinated a prominent Sunni Arab politician in the western city of Ramadi. Police say Mizhar al-Dulaimi of the Free Progressive Iraqi Party was shot while campaigning.
Some information for this report provided by AFP, AP, Reuters.
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