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Source: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,1-965021,00.html
U.S. Baffled by Iraqi Shia Leader
(London Times) Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is the spiritual leader of Iraq's 15 million Shia Muslims and wields an extraordinary moral authority over his flock. Washington has already been forced to change its withdrawal plans twice in deference to his demands, but still he insists on direct elections. Should U.S. authorities doubt al-Sistani's ability to get results, they might consider his impact on Iraqi petrol queues. Fuel shortages have been exacerbated by black marketeers cornering supplies, leading to enormous queues at petrol stations. After al-Sistani issued a fatwa against black market profiteering in petrol, the lines shrank by 75%.