A prominent Shiite, opposition man of religion dies in Baghdad

The Iraqi opposition in exile announced on Saturday that Ayatullah al-Ozma Hussein Baher al-Oloum, one of the prominent Shiite men of religion in Iraq died on Friday in al-Najaf city in Iraq.

News reports quoted Muhammad Baher al-Oloum, the cousin of the dead man as saying that the family of the men of religion who is ( 75 year old) found him on Friday laying in his office and that the Iraqi authorities prevented admitting him to hospital and asked for burying him quickly.

Muhammad, who leads the independent Islamic movement, the opposition Shiite Iraqi organization, which takes London as a headquarters added that Ayatullah Hussein used to be harassed by the ruling authorities.

Muhammad added that the late man of religion had refused the request of the Iraqi regime to challenge matters relating to the higher Shiite doctrines and to hold Friday's prayers and instead called on the Iraqi authorities to release senior men of religion and intellectuals including 28 of his family detained since the rebellion movement carried out by the Shiite in March 1991 in southern Iraq following the Gulf war.