Iraq protests enter second month, defying pledges of reform

Baghdad, Nov 1 (AFP/APP): Iraq’s top cleric warned foreign actors on Friday against interfering in his country’s anti-government protests as they entered their second month despite pledges of reform and violence that has left over 250 dead.

The demonstrations have evolved since October 1 from rage over corruption and unemployment to demands for a total government overhaul — shunning both politicians and religious figures along the way.

They have even condemned the influence of paramilitary forces including the Hashed al-Shaabi, whose members descended briefly into the streets of the capital late Thursday in a show of force, sparking fears of a confrontation with the main protests.

Khamenei urges Iraqis, Lebanese to seek demands within law

In his weekly sermon, the country’s top Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani said Iraq must not be dragged “into the “abyss of infighting”.

“No person or group, no side with a particular view, no regional or international actor may seize the will of the Iraqi people and impose its will on them,” said Sistani’s sermon, read by a representative.