Major Media Hyping Fake Story on Iraq Sunnis

Over the weekend, mainstream media were cheering on a claimed reversal by Iraq's Sunni clerics on Iraqi's participation in the police and army:

Sunni clerics OK participation in Iraq's police, armed forces
April 2, 2005
Prominent Sunni clerics who had condemned the new Iraqi government opened the door yesterday to participation of their followers in the army and police. Sixty-four Sunni clerics, including those at two of the country's most influential mosques, signed the edict declaring, "The security of the people and the country is a duty."

They set conditions, however, including an order "not to support occupation forces at the expense of Iraqis." [source]

However, within hours of that news, came a denial by the Association of Muslim Scholars:

Iraqi Sunni clerics deny decree on police
April 2, 2005
Iraq's Association of Muslim Scholars denied Saturday issuing a religious decree allowing Iraqis to join of the Iraqi police forces and army.

The country's only Sunni religious authority said in a statement that reports of 64 clerics issuing a fatwa, or edict, allowing or urging Iraqis to join national security and military forces to protect Iraqis and their property were not linked to the association. [source]

Predictably, despite an age of instant communication, here it is: April 4th --and that denial is still unsuccessfully playing catch-up with the original fake story.

Right now, best guess is that following the election of a tame Sunni as speaker of the Iraqi parliament, some smart PsyOp boys got another tame cleric to make a statement --and are spinning this like crazy for international propaganda consumption: "See, Iraq IS moving ahead!"

There are lies, damm lies and... the Military-Media Complex.