United States of America came to put a bounty on his head after leading Shiite revolt against american invasion Iraq. Iranian finally saw how he turned his back on his patronage to become the greatest obstacle to the sovereignty of the country. And for many Iraqis it paralyzed political life With the invaluable help of Iraq’s Shiite rivals. Few people in the Middle East create as much loyalty and hatred as the cleric. Muqtada Sadr, probably Iraq’s most influential man. Followers on Monday seat of Iraqi government Hours after Al Sadr announced he was withdrawing from politics and shutting down most of the institutions built by his movement, a protest that left more than thirty dead and once again brought Iraq to the brink of a new eruption of violence.
Born in the holy city Najaf 48 years ago and ex-son Grand Ayatollah of Iraq Until Saddam Hussein ordered his assassination in 1999, Al Sadr led a political movement with millions of followers among the poorest and most urban strata of the Shiite community. A strong grassroots movement formed after the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and supported by the weapons of the Mahdi Army militias, now called “Peace Brigades”. In the turbulent Iraqi political establishment, Al Sadr sought to establish himself as a leader. populist alien willing to revitalize the country by liberating it traditional eliteher widespread corruption and foreign dominationFrom both Iran and the USA.
Political power with the most votes
Inside parliamentary elections In both 2018 and 2021, his movement received the most votes, but none of the elections officially served to take power. After several months of unsuccessful negotiations with Sunni and Kurdish forces to form a government, it was eventually defeated by its pro-Iranian rivals. Coordination Framework led by former Shiite prime minister Nouri al-MalikiIn June he ordered lawmakers to resign en masse and urged his supporters to take to the streets to demand new elections. Sadr’s debacle briefly paved the way for his Shiite rivals to take the reins of government; this was the possibility that Al Sadr, along with Iraq, would try to cancel it. attack on parliament of followers at the end of July.
Conclusion 10 months of political paralysiswith sit-ins, protests and debates. Turbulence intensified after Sadr’s attack on the interim government’s headquarters on Monday, followed by clashes with Iraqi security forces and pro-Iranian militias, after Sadr announced his withdrawal from politics. An announcement that most analysts describe tactical moveThe grand gestures were later rescinded, as it wasn’t the first time the Shiite cleric had announced whether to quit politics or disband his militia. “He has a mission and a plan, and he believes he has found a way to accelerate a different regime where he will be the dominant force,” says Farhad Alaadin, chairman of the Iraqi Advisory Council.
For now, Sadr holds all the power of his bases to continue to condition the course of Iraqi politics, demanding on Tuesday that some bases withdraw from the palace where the prime minister’s office is located. ” revolution It is not a revolution that has been drenched in blood,” he confirmed after denouncing the violence of the past few hours.I apologize to the people of Iraq.In a short speech from Najaf, who is the only person hurt by what happened,” he added.