In 1920, Sheikh Mahdi Al-Khalissi played a leading role in the
Iraqi revolt of 1920. In 1922 he issued a
fatwa telling his followers and all Shiites in Iraq not to participate in the upcoming elections, so that they would not give legitimacy to a government established by foreign forces. Many Iraqis chose to answer his call and refrained from participating in the elections. This led to the failure of the elections. The British authorities attempted to deport Al-Khalissi to
Bombay,
India, but a large group of Indian Muslims arrived at the ports, forcing the British to leave Al-Khalissi on the ship and transfer him elsewhere, for fear of him becoming a leader to the Indian community. He was then transferred to a port in
Aden. There he received an invitation from
Sharif Hussein, ruler of
Mecca, to attend
Hajj (Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca). After Hajj, Al-Khalissi received an invitation from the Iranian minister of foreign affairs
Mohammed Mosaddeq to come to
Iran, where many religious leaders from
Najaf would be waiting for him. Sheikh Mahdi Al-Khalissi was welcomed at the Iranian port of
Bushehr, but an official of the
Iranian Oil Company attempted to assassinate him by firing ten shots at him. Later, Al-Khalissi rejected
King Faisal's offer for exiled religious leaders to return to
Iraq, providing they did not interfere in politics. In 1925, Al-Khalissi suddenly died in the city of
Mashhad. ==References==