Demonstrators in the Iraqi city of Ramadi Demonstrators in the Iraqi city of Ramadi, in the central Anbar governorate, have criticised Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki for ignoring their demands, and urged him not to listen to members of his party .
Muslim scholar Safar al-Hamdani told worshippers at Friday prayers that the Iraqi PM had failed to contain the current violence and extremism in the country, instead imprisoning hundreds of innocent people.
The cleric said that the Iraqi army was one of the strongest armies in the world, and must not suppress the Iraqi people. He urged military leaders to remain loyal to Iraq and not feed into the agendas of parties at the expense of national interests.
Hamdani claimed that that PM was being deceived by his senior officials and party members as to the reality on the ground.
Meanwhile, Shiite scholar Ahmed al-Safi called for dialogue between various Muslim sects to overcome the sectarian tensions across the country. During his Friday sermon in Kerbala, he condemned statements being made by Iraqi government representatives, accusing them of fuelling sectarian violence in the country.
In Najaf, south of Baghdad, the scholar Abdel-Kareem Saadi urged the Iraqi parliament to draft a law banning statements of a sectarian nature. He said certain politicians must bear the responsibility of the current deteriorating security conditions in the country.