User:Nannadeem/Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani

This year (2014) Nobel Foundation has received nominations of 278 candidatures (231 individuals and 47 organizations), for award of Nobel Peace Prize-2014. Amongst these nominations few names have been disclosed in the print and web media. Knowing that the member parliament of Iraq has nominated name of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani for award of Nobel Peace Prize for 2014, a great enthusiastic debate between various Muslim sects particularly the Imamia Shia of Muslim fraction over the pros and cons has emerged. Although, it is beyond the jurisdiction of any group or individual to argue over decision and process of the Nobel Foundation, but some time right of freedom of speech may help in decision making, if the arguments are positive and are discussed in constructive manner without challenging or disturbing the process and authority.

Colin Freeman, the Chief Foreign Correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph has also written an article in respect of nomination of Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. His deliberations have been appreciated by the Community concerned. A portion of his article requires reciprocal attention from Muslims and Christian, which is being reproduced here:

Ayatollah Sistani considers People of the Book (that is the Jews and Christians) ritually pure, his Fatwa (verdict) has also been referred in his page at English Wikipedia.

Grand Ayatollah Sistani
Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani, was born in Mashhad (Iran), to a family of religious scholars. In 1951, Sistani traveled to Iraq to study in Najaf under Grand Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei. He is successor of Ayatollah Abu al-Qasim al-Khoei. Presently, as the leading Ayatollah in Najaf, Sistani oversees sums amounting to millions of US $. His followers offer him a fixed part of their earnings (Khums) which is used for educational and charitable purposes at global level. Sistani’s office has reported that it, besides other institutions in the world, supports 35,000 students in Qum, 10,000 in Mashhad, and 4,000 in Isphan. His office also oversees a network of representatives (called wakil) who are responsible, in their respective countries, for proper execution of financial, educational, charitable and religious affairs etc. in accordance with instructions and verdicts of the Marja (supreme religious authority). Additionally, Sistani has a substantial followers within Shia communities all over the world and is the current Nayb-i Imam (Preeminent Marja) of the Twelver Sect of Shia Muslims.

Instead of advocating for rule by Islamic clerics or for fundamentalist legal views, Sistani is said to favour a more relaxed perspective related to the provision of values and guidelines for social order (nizam al-mujama) as being the recognized, primary role of Islam.

Speculations for Peace Award 2014
Each year, the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Director Kristian Berg Harpviken presents his own shortlist for the Nobel Peace Prize. Harpviken's speculations do not confirm nor endorse any candidate. Neither the Director nor the Peace Research Institute Oslo has formal links to the Norwegian Nobel Institute and the Nobel Committee. The names shortlisted by the Director (PRIO) are given below:

PRIO has further published a list of 20 names of individuals and organizations, marking their list as confirmed and possible nominations based on available information in the press, web or provided to them directly.

The name of (reverenced) Pope Francis has been marked most favourite by the Director PRIO. Mr. Colin Freeman, of the Daily Telegraph, UK, in his article has already pointed out that the name of Ayatollah Sistani has not been shortlisted nor his name included in the PRIO speculation for the 2014 Peace Award. However, Mr. Colin Freeman bravely suggested that:

Media reporting for 2014 Peace Award
An article published on the Guardian website on 29 January 2014, gives a news for nomination of Edward Snowden by two Norwegian politicians for award of Noble Peace 2014. About 7 names have been revealed in the global post, placing in their list Pope Francis and Malala Yousufzai at 3rd and 4th position respectively. The article published in the REUTERS (OSLO Tue Mar 4, 2014) reportedly states:

Committee members who met on Tuesday added their own proposals with a focus on recent turmoil around the globe. Part of the purpose of the committee's first meeting is to take into account recent events, and committee members try to anticipate what could be the potential developments in political hotspots, said Geir Lundestad, Director of Norwegian Nobel Institute. It was further added here that - Although nominations are kept secret for 50 years, thousands of people around the world are eligible to propose candidates, including any member of any national assembly, and many make their picks public.

News appeared in the Daily Tehran Times on 8 March 2014 referring to the previous report of the Daily Azzaman  exposed the initiative taken by Member Parliament (Hassan al-Yasseri) who had pointed out that the main objective behind the move is to show to the world that the Shia school of Islam is fiercely opposed to sectarianism and takfiri (killer of opponent) thought and that it seeks peace and dialogue among religious denominations.

Occultation of truth & predictions in Media
Comparing the news reported in the articles of print & web, no prediction in respect of Grand Ayatollah Sistani can be framed whether his name to be included in the subsequent meetings of the Noble Prize Committee or not. However, selection process of the Nobel Prize Org states that:

At the first meeting of the Nobel Committee after the February 1 deadline for nominations, the Committee's Permanent Secretary presents the list of the year's candidates. The Committee may on that occasion add further names to the list, after which the nomination process is closed, and discussion of the particular candidates begins. In the light of this first review, the Committee draws up the so-called short list - i.e. the list of candidates selected for more thorough consideration. The short list typically contains from twenty to thirty candidates.

The candidates on the short list are then considered by the Nobel Institute's permanent advisers. In addition to the Institute's Director and Research Director, the body of advisers generally consists of a small group of Norwegian university professors with broad expertise in subject areas with a bearing on the Peace Prize. The advisers usually have a couple of months in which to draw up their reports. Reports are also occasionally requested from other Norwegian and foreign experts.

When the advisers' reports have been presented, the Nobel Committee embarks on a thorough-going discussion of the most likely candidates. In the process, the need often arises to obtain additional information and updates about candidates from additional experts, often foreign. As a rule, the Committee reaches a decision only at its very last meeting before the announcement of the Prize at the beginning of October

Bright prospective & retrospectives
In line with the well known traditions of the holly Prophet that Allah loves not the tyrants and he desires not tyranny (dictatorship) in the world and the greatest jihad is that for the conquest of self, the verdicts and efforts of Grand Ayatollah are well known and construe the true adherence to the traditions of holly Prophet and real example for followers of other monotheistic religions. Demographic data of shia population demonstrated at EN-WP is approximately 192.9 and according to a rough estimate, without counting supporters and lovers, 15-20 million Shia follow the guardianship of Ali Sistani. His followers all over the globe are hoping for appreciation and consider the worthiness of the award as it would enable them to place a good example before general mankind in their constructive debates and arguments  highlighting the success and recognition  of peace efforts over tyranny.

The philosophy of sociology suggests that all religions are made for mankind and no mankind is made for religion(s), so humanity is superior above all. Particular superiority never likes humanitarianism; there are instances of disgracing a noble and sober, for example In January 2010, a Muslim religious cleric vehemently criticized Sistani by referring to him as an "atheist". The remarks were considered extremely offensive, prompting outraged protest in some Shia communities in Iraq, Iran and Lebanon. The people that are against him are the ignorant. There is an aspect of human behavior that is thorough and wide spread, but hardly mentioned among all our negatives, it is hypocrisy. Everything we each do, we justify, but when others do, we criticize. This occurs from our most trivial daily experiences to world conflicts. However, no such baseless and blemish remarks have ever been heard from this side. It is well accepted in the western media that followers of Sistani care for humanity and peace at top.

The Noble Peace Prize is the biggest award in the world. Due consideration of the nomination of Ayatollah Sistani would be beyond criticism and at par with the expectations of the peace lovers and a source of pride for Iraq and Iraqis, Muslims and Shiites and success of ideology for peace and dialogue between religions and rejection of bloodshed. It is an ethical bounding upon all of us to wholeheartedly accept the decision to be announced in October, 2014, by the Nobel Prize Committee.