[middle-east] passing of ayotollah means crazies can now rule

Ayotollah Ali al-Sistari

Why would an Ayotollah’s passing be a matter of anything but glee to a cautious west? Because in this little noted case, as Sami Moubayed of the Asia Times comments, ‘It is the passing of the last voice of reason in Iraq.’ Now the Shi’ite militia crazies can rule. In a little trumpeted announcement, al-Sistani has now retreated into discussing solely religious matters and one of the west’s greatest reasoned influences in the region has been lost. The details.