Iraq’s Top Cleric Says Government Must Genuinely Seek Change

Iraq’s top Shiite cleric says the government must show it is seeking genuine change to combat corruption and not just introduce temporary measures to placate the embattled nation

Yemeni supporters of the Shiite Huthi rebel movement, some of them chewing Qat, a mild drug used daily by many Yemenis, raise their weapons during a rally to protest against a military offensive by a Saudi-led coalition, on August 24, 2015 in the capital Sanaa.Mohammed Huwais /AFP/Getty Images

BAGHDAD—Iraq’s top Shiite cleric says the government must show it is seeking genuine change to combat corruption and not just introduce temporary measures to placate the embattled nation.

In a message delivered by a representative in a Friday sermon, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani also cautioned protesters who have staged weekly rallies to press demands for reform. He warned against groups seeking to hijack their movement to further other interests.

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