Muqtada al-Sadr continues to be influential from well outside the Iraqi political structure. After American troops imprisoned 13 of his associates in a recent raid, Sadr called for massive demonstrations against the American occupation and his supporters have responded:
The protests, which drew an estimated total of 6,000 demonstrators in the three cities, followed radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s call Wednesday to reject the U.S. occupation of Iraq by painting Israeli and American flags on the ground outside mosques to be stepped on in protest raids against holy places.
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Al-Sadr’s call for protests was made a day after U.S. and Iraqi forces detained 13 of his supporters during a raid on a Shiite mosque in Mahmoudiya, 20 miles south of Baghdad. Iraqi troops confiscated weapons from the mosque.
Al-Sadr, a burly, black-bearded cleric, launched two uprisings against U.S. forces in Baghdad and Najaf in April and August last year, then went into hiding before surfacing on Monday to demand that U.S.-led forces withdraw from the country.
“From this platform, we warn the government not to fight the al-Sadr movement because all the tyrants of the world could not beat it,” Hazim al-Araji, the imam of a mosque in Kufa during Friday;s sermon. “We say to the government do not be a tyrant like Saddam or (former interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad) Allawi.”
In the Shiite holy cities of Najaf and Kufa, al-Sadr followers painted American and Israeli flags on most streets near mosques before stepping on them.
“Down, down Israel; down, down USA,” chanted protesters following midday prayers at a Kufa mosque.
The article makes it seem as if Sadr has indeed disappeared since he caused trouble last year, which is wildly inaccurate. It was only last month on the anniversary of Saddam’s fall that tens of thosuands of Sadr’s supporters marched against the US presence. Then, just like now, Sadr proved that he continues to be a powerful force in Iraqi society. By staying outside of the political process Sadr has been able to distance himself from a regime that many Iraqis consider nothing more than an appendage of the American occupation forces, allotting him the ability to act as a check on the government and, perhaps, move to pick up the pieces one day when and if the government crumbles. It’s a frightening thought, especially since Sadr is the last person outside Zarqawi the US should want as a powerful leader.
Sadly, it seems Sadr is the only one playing internal public opinion to his advantage in Iraq. Jaafari, just as Allawi did, continues to blame the insurgency on outside forces, which explains his upcoming Syria visit. Most of the trouble in Iraq has sprung forth from the domestic scene, not the international one (unless you count the American invasion.) Of course there are foreign fighters in Iraq, but most of the insurgents and disgruntled Muslims in the country are not foreign. Continuously ignoring the Sunni’s concerns and important governmental issues (such as who exactly will control the Ministry of Oil once Chalabi steps down from his interim post, if he steps down) and blaming the entire security situation on outside forces is a cop out and shoddy leadership. It’s the same sort of mindset that’s been at the helm of Iraq for over a year now, and with this new government it is no different.
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