By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

New York -- While many Americans gathered around radios and television sets to follow the military action in Iraq, the leader of the largest Shi'ite community in the North America took time meet with journalists March 20 to express "thanks on behalf of the silent majority of Iraqis -- those who have never been heard in the past."

Imam Sheikh Fadhel Al-Sahlani of the Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center in New York City said he did not support war, but saw the military action undertaken by the United States, United Kingdom, and a coalition of other nations as "a last solution to remove the cancer from the body of Iraq."

For that reason, Sheikh Al-Sahlani said, "the war can be justified."

He described "the silent majority" as the vast majority of Iraqis who live in fear of the regime Saddam Hussein built and ruled by fostering distrust.

"Nobody can talk. Even this moment I don't want to say too much for fear my family in Iraq will be tortured," the imam said.

Sheikh Al-Sahlani described to Western journalists how the regime forced clerics to either preach what Saddam Hussein wanted or see their families tortured or jailed. During the recent holy days of 10th of Moharum, the sheikh said his large community with its mosque, meeting rooms, and school were protected by New York City police in case of terrorist attack. In contrast, he said Iraqi police would have threatened, not protected, the religious celebrations.

Sheikh Al-Sahlani is president of the Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center, which is located in the Jamaica section of the New York City borough of Queens. He left Iraq in 1977 and settled in New York 14 years ago after living in a variety of places including Kuwait, Syria, Lebanon, and Pakistan.

The 5,000 families of his community are from Pakistan, India, Iran, Afghanistan, and Lebanon as well as Iraq. They are sympathetic to the Iraqis' situation, the imam said. "All of them know the history of Saddam and what Saddam did to their scholars and the Shi'ite in Iraq. So they have sympathy with the Iraqis and they wish Saddam to be removed as soon as possible. But, they, too, are worried about the loss of civilians. "

He still has family in Iraq and would like to return for a visit once Saddam Hussein is out of power. Sheikh Al-Sahlani said that he comes from a "small tribe" from which more than 25 family members have disappeared, "either killed or are in prison; we don't know -- under Saddam."

He lost contact by phone with his family in Iraq over the last several days, Sheikh Al-Sahlani said. "I feel so sad, so sorry. We are following the media in many ways. And we just have to pray to make this war finish as soon as possible."

In a large meeting room next door to the second grade classroom of the center's school, the sheikh talked of the Iraq's rich history. He called it a land of prophets and glorious civilization that for the past 30 years has been "captured by a regime which has no roots in civilization, which have no roots in ethics or religion."

"Saddam, the person who has no good background in any field became president of Iraq to lead Iraq to the worst situation we can imagine," he said.

"The crimes of Saddam for the Iraqis are endless," the imam said. "The last three great crimes" -- the Iran/Iraq war, the invasion of Kuwait, and the killing of his own people in quelling an uprising in the mid 1990s "cost us as Iraqis millions of innocent people."

"We are here to tell the world that we are not supporting any war, but as a last solution to remove this cancer from the body if Iraq ... it can be justified," Sheikh Al-Sahlani said.

"After 12 years I believe he has to be removed by any means," he said.

"We pray to God to make this war as short as possible and to let the Iraqis have a new government following the law of human begins," he said.

Iraqis in his community, Sheikh Al-Sahlani said, are sad to see the war start, but hope it will end with the removal of Saddam.

"Some of them already know about the war. They lived through 1990. They still remember what happened. It is a bad situation. So definitely they don't wish that bad situation on their families," he said. "Most of us are really very sad for that. But, again, we have this hope the war will finish with the removal of Saddam."

The imam said Iraqis generally view the U.S. troops as liberators. Nevertheless, he said, the Americans must not stay more than a year and quickly return the country to the Iraqi people.

"The peace marchers, those against the war, don't understand," Al-Sahlani said. "Nobody likes the war. But if these people knew what kind of suffering (Iraqis experience) from Saddam, they would be convinced that war is a valid reason to remove Saddam."

Al-Sahlani said he feels that all Iraqis -- Kurds, Sunni, Shi'ite and other groups will be able to live together and govern themselves.

"The Iraqis really don't have a problem to live together, to work together and to have unity," he said. "Iraq has about six or seven ethnic backgrounds ... but they never had problems among themselves, especially the Muslims."

"Saddam tried to play each against the other and tried to create differentiation between the Shi'ite and the Sunnis. But, practically, they lived together, they worked together," the imam said. "They will have no problems" if they share power in a democracy after Saddam.

Most of the family members of Mohamed Al Masawi, a member of the Imam Al-Khoei Islamic Center, still live in Basra, Iraq. The last time he talked with his parents and siblings was about a week before the start of the military action, Al Masawi said. He has been unable to contact his family in the past few days.

Al Masawi, spokesman of the Iraqi American Council, said his family has been collecting food, cooking fuel, and other supplies they need to get through the fighting.

"Last time I talked to them I felt the fear in them because of the war. Everybody is knowing there will be war," he said, adding they feel their suffering and sacrifice are necessary to bring an end to the regime of Saddam Hussein.

"Our prayers are for them, to save them from killing," he said.

"Our message to Saddam Hussein: Please leave the country and save the people from the killing," Al Masawi said.

Al Masawi lives in another section of the Borough of Queens -- Bayside. He estimates that there are between 900 and 1,000 people of Iraqi descent living in the New York area. The largest Iraqi community, he added, is in the Detroit, Michigan, area. He said that he knew of 30 Iraqis who have already left the United States to return to the region to fight in the war to liberate their country.