Accessibility links

Breaking News

Al-Sistani Heading To London For Heart Treatment


6 August 2004 -- Iraq's leading Shi'a cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, is today on his way to London for heart treatment.

Airport security officials in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, said al-Sistani arrived on a chartered jet from Iraq and later left for London on a regularly scheduled airline flight.

Al-Sistani's spokesman in Beirut, Sheikh Hamed Khafaf, said the cleric suffered a "health crisis related to his heart" a few days ago, and was going to London for specialized medical care. The spokesman said that al-Sistani was not in a "deteriorated state."

As the top religious figure for Iraq's Shi'a Muslim majority, the 73-year-old al-Sistani is a powerful figure in Iraqi politics. UN and other officials have regularly sought his support on their policy proposals for Iraq.

(Reuters/AP)

RFE/RL has been declared an "undesirable organization" by the Russian government.

If you are in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine and hold a Russian passport or are a stateless person residing permanently in Russia or the Russia-controlled parts of Ukraine, please note that you could face fines or imprisonment for sharing, liking, commenting on, or saving our content, or for contacting us.

To find out more, click here.

XS
SM
MD
LG