Importance of the Ulamas in Iraq

Mainstream Sunni Muslim clerics in Iraq have formed a body to issue edicts aimed at curbing the influence of al Qaeda militants. FDD's Walid Phares today explained what this latest development means for the future of Iraq:

The reasons behind the rise of the council are multiple: Under Saddam, there were two types of Sunni clerics: First, those who served his regime and were appointed with his consent, even though his regime was Socialist. They were the 'official' Ulamas and used to getting the financial and political backing [they needed]. In return they provided him with religious legitimacy, especially when he was at war with Iran. Second, and in deeper layers; the more Salafi clerics, in the 1970s and early 1980s, were still contained and marginalized. They represented the more conservative, almost Wahabi type of clerics.

But in the mid 1990s, and as he needed more Islamic approval, Saddam included more Salafists in the Sunni religious circles. This allowed the infiltration by Salafists (close to al Qaeda) within the 'clergy.'

When Saddam was removed from power, the Sunni arena was wide open for all types of clerics. The most radical ones rose first, and joined the ranks of the foreign Jihadis.

Radical Fatwas were issued one after the other, until it became out of control.
Instead of concentrating on the Americans, the fatwas were calling for the murder of Iraqis — Shiia, Sunni, and even of competing clerics.

Slowly, the "mainstream" Sunni establishment — including businessmen, intellectuals, and legislators — encouraged the older generation of Ulamas as well as the more moderates, to 'come back' and form or reform some sort of union.

In short, this is not yet the new liberal and reformist clerical gathering. This is the union of those Sunni clerics who want the Americans out, checking the Shiia away from Sunni areas and eroding al Qaeda's influence. This union will be the equivalent of the mainstream Sunni clerics in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, or Qatar.
They are opposed to the suicidal behavior of al Qaeda-type jihadists, but nevertheless, at some level, still swimming in fundamentalism.