Petition nominates Al Sistani for Nobel Prize

A group of exiled Iraqi Christians in the United States have launched an online petition nominating Iraq's top Shiite Muslim cleric for the 2005 Nobel Peace Prize, drawing more than 6,000 signatures from around the world.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Al Sistani "gave Muslims all around the globe a good example how to follow peaceful ways to resolve complex social [and] political challenges that face them, condemning terror and emphasising ... rule of law," the petition said.

The petition was initiated by members of the Iraqi Chaldean community in El Cajon City, San Diego.