Iraqi Shi'ite Leader 'Ayad Jamal Al-Din: Iran Pursues Own Interests, Not Shi'ite Interests; Iraqis Do Not Put Pictures of Khamenei in their Homes

The following are excerpts from an interview with Iraqi Shi'ite leader 'Ayad Jamal Al-Din:

Al-Din: We mustn't place Iranian interests above our own, under the pretext that Shi'a, Islam, or anything else is in danger. Iran does not protect the interests of the Shi'a or Islam. Iran is a country that protects its own interests. Iran is a very pragmatic country. They use all the holy names for the sake of their interests – the name of Islam, the Shi'a, the name of Palestine, and others – they use all these names for their own interests.

There is clear Iranian interference, evident in the media policy adopted since the day the idol in Baghdad was toppled and to this day. If you watch Al-'Alam TV, Al-Manar TV, the Sahar channels, and Iranian channels broadcasting in Farsi, you find that they wage a media war that causes despair and frustration among Iraqis in general, and Shi'ites in particular.

I tell the Iranians that if they hear from people here and there, that pictures of Ayatollah Khamenei are hung in Iraqi homes, it is a lie.