The Iraqi Muslim Scholars' Association have worked hard to pressure the joint US and Iraqi forces to stop attacks on Fallujah, a city 50 km west of Baghdad, ever since the major assault on the rebel-held city started on Nov. 8.
On Wednesday, the association held a conference in its headquarters in the mosque of Um Al Qura, which was attended by representatives of 47 parties, organizations and powers opposing the American occupation.
A joint statement issued at the end of the conference have decided to boycott the general elections due in January in protest against the overuse of force throughout the country.
The statement strongly condemned the American attacks on cities like Najaf, Karbala, Samarra, Sadr City, Adhmiya, and especially the genocide crimes in Fallujah."
"These crimes prevent us from taking part in the political process going on under the control of occupation forces," said the statement, which was read by Sheikh Jawad Al Khalisi, a well-known Shiite cleric.
The statement demanded that daily activities of the occupations be reported publicly and a real patriotic attitude in Iraqi resistance be activated.
It pointed out there is a scheme to drag the national powers opposing the occupation into a slippery trap by asking them to participate in the elections and then denying their winning to make the elections and the occupation legitimate.
Near the headquarters, many volunteers and members of the association were distributing food to the people fleeing from Fallujah.
"We are gathering contributions sent by the citizens all over the country and then we divided them to our people in Fallujah," said Sheikh Omar Abdullah Ali.
Muthana Harith Al Dhari, a spokesman of the association, said two convoys were sent Wednesday to the people from three cities of Fallujah, Al Garma and Al Saglawyah in the morning because the American forces gave them only two hours to let those aids in.
He emphasized it is becoming more and more difficult to send the humanitarian aid to Fallujah because of the American force' blocking.
He said the association is working and pressuring the American forces to allow the civilians to go out of Fallujah, adding that the total civilians in the city exceeded 15,000.
Several medical teams of volunteering doctors have gone to Fallujah to offer medical services and aids to the injured people.
In one of the association's hall, one man from Fallujah, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told journalists "The American forces committed hideous crimes against civilians in Fallujah. They even killed women and children."
"I saw the Americans shoot a pregnant woman and saw her child coming out of her belly," he said, "They killed an old woman who was crying for help. They killed a woman that they found reading Quran, and they killed a man who tried to keep the woman alive."
"The American forces banned us from burying those killed by bullets in bombshells and only allowed us to bury those killed by chemical weapons to cover their crimes," he said, adding he participated in burying 21 Iraqis who died this way.
He called on the international sides to visit the graves of the Iraqis and carry out medical examinations to reveal the truth of what the Americans have done in Fallujah.
The association has decided to become an information center to cover the events of Fallujah after the American forces imposed a media blackout, the spokesman said.
At least 39 US and five Iraqi soldiers have been killed and some 278 wounded since they launched their offensive on Fallujah on Nov. 8, according to US forces.
The US military also said about 1,200 insurgents have been killed in the fighting.