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Iraq
A member of the Popular Moblization Forces (PMF) carries a picture of Sistani after Iraq declared the Islamic State defeated in December 2017. File photo: Haidar Mohammed Ali / AFP
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Iraq’s highest Shiite religious authority Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani underwent surgery on a fractured thighbone on Thursday, prompting a sea of well-wishes from domestic and foreign officials in recognition of the 89-year-old’s peacemaking influence in the country.
On Thursday, a statement from Sistani’s office revealed the Ayatollah’s “left leg was twisted, leading to a fractured femur, and today he will undergo a surgery God willing on the hands of an Iraqi medical team.” A photo of a bedridden Sistani surrounded by doctors following his surgery later surfaced on social media.
"The surgery was completed in half an hour thanks to Allah," Ahmed al-Safi, Sistani's representative said in a post-surgery press conference.
The orthopedic surgeon who carried out the operation explained that Sistani's injury occurred as he performed his pre-prayer washing ritual.
"As you know, the Sayyid is old, so his bones are brittle, so when he went for aboltion, there was a twist and then a fracture," Doctor Ihsan Mohammed Ali Faraj told the press.
"He was praying for Iraq and Iraqis throughout the surgery," Faraj said, adding that the fracture occurred "in an area where healing could be quick." He suggested Sistani could be helped to walk again "as early as Friday."
Sistani is the highest Shiite religious authority of Iraq. Despite this, he has made sure to transcend ethnic, religious and sectarian affiliations, opting to express an Iraqi civil identity. He has been called “Iraq’s safety valve” by many for his constructive role in the unstable country, and is highly revered among the population.
Unlike Iranian counterpart Ayatollah Khamenei, Sistani’s religious authority does not translate into direct political interference. Nevertheless, his statements during Friday public sermons do impact political reality in Iraq.
In a statement of well-wishes, the Iraqi High Commission for Human Rights (IHCHR) heralded the peacemaking role Sistani has played in the country.
“The Higher Commission for Human Rights prays for Allah to endow the top man of peace in Iraq, his Eminence Sayyid al-Sistani, with quick recovery and longevity, as his stances have and still call for peace, shunning violence and forgiving the other,” IHCHR said.
Iraqi officials and foreign diplomatic staff alike sent wishes of a quick recovery to Sistani, noting his positive impact in Iraq.
“We received with utmost worry the news of his Eminence, our Sayyid, the highest Marjaa [clergyman], to an illness and a fractured femur,” Iraq’s caretaker Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi said in a Thursday statement, which also revealed the premier made a phone call to check on Sistani’s condition.
Abdul-Mahdi offered all Iraqi state health provisions for his care, including bringing over “the best specialists” from overseas. Iraq’s President Barham Salih offered in a statement to send specialized medical teams to “provide the necessary care, while having full belief in the medical cadre that conducted and supervised the surgery”.
The offer to provide foreign specialized medical care to treat Sistani reflects a lack of belief in the ability of Iraq’s medical cadre to take care of the political class. Iraq’s rich and powerful are known to often travel abroad for medical treatment, especially to Europe.
The investment of confidence in Iraqi medical care by Sistani did not go unnoticed by his representative in Shingal, northwestern Iraq.
“Although he is faring through this condition, he sent us a message…what was the message his Eminence was sending when he chose for the medical team to be Iraqi?,” Saad Ahmed al-Aaraji, Sistani’s Shingal representative asked in a Facebook statement.
“We have qualified individuals and energies that could be depended on, and they are worthy of confidence,” Aaraji interpreted, and “that we have to encourage these young national qualified [individuals] energies for them to assume their clear and prominent role in life and different practical areas.”
Some of Iraq’s protestors, who have been on the streets since October 1 to demand change and reform, have criticized Sistani’s lack of reaction against the current ruling political class as weak – his words carry weight and could affect change.
Sistani importance was not lost among foreign observers, including the US Embassy and the head of the UN’s Assistance Mission to Iraq (UNAMI), who also wished Sistani a quick return to health.
“Sincere wishes for a speedy recovery and continued good health to His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Al-Sistani. May his reason and wisdom continue to inspire us all,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, head of UNAMI, said on Wednesday.
“We received with great joy the news that His Eminence Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Husseini Al-Sistani’s surgery was successful. The ever-lasting stabilizing role of Sayyid Al-Sistani is beyond admirable. He will be in our prayers during the recovery period, we hope it will be a speedy one,” the US Embassy in Baghdad said in a Thursday statement.
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