BBC Monitoring
The Association of Muslim Scholars [AMS] in Iraq website in Arabic, the official Internet site of the Sunni Association of Muslim Scholars in Iraq, posted, on 15 November, statement No 496 on the storming of its building by the private guards of the head of Sunni Waqf, Ahmad Abd-al-Ghafur al-Samarra'i, and stopping the transmission of Umm al-Qurah Radio Station.
The statement notes: "There are political motives behind the armed storming operation and the coercive confiscation of the AMS's building. Many political sides have incited the Sunni Waqf to carry out the storming operation. Those sides share the belief that the AMS's calls for liberating the country and preserving its unity impede their own schemes. Those political sides have been planning to carry out this operation for a long time."
The statement adds that the AMS condemns this operation, calls on Ahmad Abd-al-Ghafur al-Samarra'i to apologize and return the building to the AMS. The statement ! also calls on other political parties, especially the Islamic Party, to make their stand known regarding this operation. The statement elaborates further that this operation serves the "occupation's agenda" and the current "sectarian government."
Source: Association of Muslim Scholars website, in Arabic 15 Nov 07