- Observer.co.uk,
- Sunday April 13, 2003
"I will return to Iraq as soon as possible to expand on the humanitarian work my uncle was spearheading. It's the least he would have expected of us", Haider Al-Khoei, Mr Majid Al-Khoei's 26 year old nephew, told the Observer during his uncle's memorial service on Friday.
As he spoke, a steady stream of men and women passed through the Al-Khoei Islamic Centre, many weeping openly for the deceased. Grown men sobbed in each other's arms, having lost someone who they considered a friend and spiritual leader. In the main hall, an emotional qari recited verses of the Quran and delivered a sermon in honour of the 'martyred' Mr Majid Al-Khoei who was the son of the late Grand Ayatollah Abul-Qasim Al-Khoei, the highest Shiite religious authority in the world at the time of the Gulf War.
Shocked and devastated family members insisted Mr Majid Al-Khoei's role in Najaf had been "purely humanitarian, not political."
The Al-Khoei Foundation began relief work in parts of Southern Iraq after the first Gulf War, delivering relief supplies in defiance of US-imposed sanctions. Mr Majid Al-Khoei had recently travelled to his hometown Najaf under the protection of the US administration. He undertook "communication projects" which involved facilitating dialogue between rival sects in Najaf.
"He believed the uprising of 1991 failed partly because the various factions did not communicate with one another. He did not want the another failed attempt," said Haider Al-Khoei. Before he departed for Iraq in early April, he told his wife and four children he knew his mission was a risky one. "No one has suffered as much as the Iraqi people. I am devastated by their plight. I must go because the risks of not going are even greater," he had said.
Since Mr Majid Al-Khoei's death, the charity's projects have seen suspended. At Friday's memorial service, friends and relations of the Al-Khoei family grieved over their loss.
According to near relations, all the Al-Khoei brothers, except one, were either killed in the hands of the Baath regime or have disappeared. The remaining brother lives in Iran. Mr. Majid Al-Khoei's only sister was present at the memorial service. In a large room lined with black cloth, she sat next to Mr. Majid Al-Khoei's widow and wailed between sobs that "she had no one left". Her own husband is in prison due to activities against the Baath regime.
"The women and children in my family were politicised a long time ago because we have suffered so much loss," said Haider Al-Khoei. "However, my uncle would want to be remembered as merely one of the many Iraqis who have sacrificed their lives for their country." The Al-Khoei family dismissed suggestions that Mr Majid Al-Khoei was necessarily unique. "There are thousands of families like ours and everyone has paid a high price for this struggle against Saddam Hussein."
Meanwhile, confused versions of the circumstances of Mr Majid Al-Khoei's death continue to emerge. Shortly after the murder of Mr Majid, one of his companions telephoned the Al-Mu'tamar newspaper, published by Ahmed Chalabi's Iraqi National Congress in London. Mr Abu Tarek, who is also part of the Al-Khoei Foundation told Al-Mu'tamar that six people had been killed in the clash - his three nephews who were residents of Najaf, Mr Majid Al-Khoei, a Mr Mahr Al-Yasiri, an American citizen and the man who was allegedly the real target of the violence - Mr. Haider Al-Kilidar.
Mr. Rashid Al-Khayyun, a journalist with Al-Mu'tamar who spoke to Mr Abu Tarek told the Observer, "It was a moment of complete chaos. The mob really only wanted Mr. Haider Al-Kilidar but the five other men simply got in the way." Mr. Ridhwan A-Kilidar, an active member of the Al-Khoei Foundation and a cousin of Haider Al-Kilidar was not available for comment.
According to Mr Al-Khayyun, Mr Haider Al-Kilidar - whose surname literally means "caretaker of the holy shrine" had long been associated with the Baath regime. With the downfall of the Saddam Hussein, his position as the caretaker of the Imam Ali shrine was challenged by the people of Najaf.
"Abu Tarek said the people pleaded with Mr Majid to let them punish Haider Al-Kilidar but Mr Majid tried to dissuade them. At some point, Mr Kilidar and another caretaker of the mosque, Mr Jabbar Al-Khirsan opened fire over the heads of the mob, in an attempt to dissipate it," according to Mr. Al-Khayyun's conversation with Mr Abu Tarek. It is believed that the sound of gunfire sent panic running through the already angry demonstrators, eventually leading to a charge against Mr Kilidar and whoever was in the way.
The Observer learnt that Mr Shaykh Salah Bilal who had also accompanied Mr Majid Al-Khoei on his expedition, called his wife in London to say he had escaped unhurt.
One prominent Iraqi exile in London who has since been communicating with residents in Najaf through international mobile telephones told the Observer that Mr Majid Al-Khoei's presence in Najaf went beyond 'humanitarian.'"It is unclear what caused this tragedy but the people of Najaf refused to be appeased by Mr Majid Al-Khoei because he had come under the auspices of the Americans. He should have waited for things to calm down."
Several sources in London told the Observer that since September 11, Mr Majid Al-Khoei was increasingly seen as a "yes-man" to the British and American governments. "He supported the bombing of Afghanistan and this war on Iraq," one said although the Al-Khoei family yesterday insisted that they had always been vehemently against war.
However, the Khoei family is not new to controversy over their position on this war. Recently, Iraq's most important Shiite religious leader, Grand Ayatollah Mirza Ali Seestani of Najaf, issued a fatwa calling for jihad against the Americans. Majid Al-Khoei however, was quoted in the media as saying the Grand Ayatollah had since overturned the fatwa which had been forcefully extracted from him by Saddam's regime.
A London-based Shia activist disputed Majid Al-Khoei's statement as "a fabrication and misrepresentation of the Grand Ayatollah in support of the West." He showed the Observer a letter allegedly from Ayatollah Seestani's office which said, "There is no proof that the Grand Ayatollah issued such a fatwa. Shariah makes it obligatory to stand in the face of invasion. The group, which issued the baseless news , has been in cooperation with the enemy for years."
Mr Majid Al-Khoei's death is sure to deal a blow to allied plans for leadership in Iraq. He has long been touted as a "beacon of hope" who would bridge the gap between rival factions in Iraq as well as between Iraqis and the West. If his murder is a sign of things to come, the war for hearts and minds in Iraq could be far from over.
"The death of Majid Al-Khoei shows that Iraqis know exactly what they want out of their new leadership. They want self-rule. Pro-war Iraqis who spent much of their lives comfortably living abroad will not do," said Mr Mazin Yunus, a prominent member of the Iraqi community in Leeds, Yorkshire. "This is a critical time. Many different people are going to take advantage of the leadership vacuum in Iraq," added Mr Yunus, pointing out that Mr Majid Al-Khoei's death could have been a result of violence organised by rival factions struggling for a piece of the new Iraq.
