The grand design of the Grand Ayatollah of Iraq   By Jamal Hasan A few months ago I wrote a letter to Dr. Daniel Pipes where I expressed my utter surprise at Dr. Richard Perle's on the record acceptance of a possible theocracy in Iraq. It was heartening to note Dr. Perle received my message and retracted from his original position.  This is the problem we are facing today. Many of us fail to understand the depth of diabolical chessgame of Islamists. The Islamists of all hue and color (that includes all sects precisely) have only one agenda. That is to convert the whole world under Islamic Shari'a. They are conniving and manipulative enough to fool Western mind. Think about the communists of yore. Were they not the greatest proponents of democracy in any democratic society? When challenged about the ulterior meaning of their "democracy", the communists uttered a soothing double-talk. They said they were for democracy of the proletariat. Strengthening their argument they would finally admit that they were for dictatorship of the proletariat which according to their frame of reference was nothing short of democracy of highest kind.  Now, let us look into the Grand Ayatolla Sistani controversy in Iraq. This influential Shiite leader was championing the cause of true people's participation for some time. His stubborn position favoring Iraqis' right to choose leaders won him many sympathizers in the West and pushed USA on the defensive. Many left-leaning anti-American analysts would be amazed at the Ayatollah's adherence for participative democracy. But they fail to see the bigger picture. This Ayatollah Sistani is nothing but an extension of Iranian religious ruling clique. His idea and religiously inspired world view could mirror those of the fascist Guardian Council of Iran. Ayatollah Sistani is no friend of modern democracy. His current political maneuvering is nothing but a ploy to reach the ultimate goal -to convert Iraq into a fundamentalist Shii'te paradise following Iranian model. After grabbing power, this Grand Ayatollah will not show any mercy to the dissidents. Not only that, he may be audacious enough to overturn the aspiration of the majority.    Perhaps we should learn our lesson from the history. In 1979 the Iranian Mullahs were propelled to power with an expedient nod to democracy. They managed to fool even the most educated and “enlightened”, both in the west and Iran. Social scientists called it the Third Wave of democracy. However, soon after the Mullahs grabbed the power they reneged their promises and established one of the most pernicious forms of despotism where all the power rests in the hands of an unelected “spiritual” leader, whose decree is equated with the decree of God and opposition to him is regarded as opposition to God punishable by death. The lesson is that regimes based on ideologies, whether political or religious, will not be democratic.  Let us not be fooled by the Ayatollahs and Muftis anymore. They were good magicians but how long can they get away with their double-talks and double dealings? The audience in the amphitheaters are getting smarter as time goes by. Are they aware of that ground reality?