Iraq's Top Sunni Religious Leader Dies

By Cernig

From Radio Free Europe:

June 17, 2007 -- Officials say Iraq's top Sunni religious leader died today after suffering a heart attack in his hometown of Tikrit.


Shaykh Jamal al-Din Abdul Karim al-Dabban was the mufti, or religious authority, for Iraq's Sunni Arab minority.

Al-Dabban, who had been Iraq's Sunni mufti since July 2004, was seen as a moderate who did not play a significant role in the insurgency that followed the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Does anyone have a clue who the next Mufti might be and what his stances are? It occurs to me that if he's a hardline anti-occupation type, then there's going to be a whole lot more trouble. However, another moderate or even a dove might actually help calm sectarian fighting a little.