Moqtada al-Sadr's Speech Shows His Puppet-Master Ambitions

Earlier today, Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr addressed thousands upon thousands of Iraq-Namese followers from his home town of Najaf. This journal suggested yesterday that in the speech he would "position himself as leader of the Shi'ite underclass, opponent of the occupation (but a milder version than in 2004), and as a man above petty politics." Regrettably, he has done just that. He clearly wants to be the puppeteer pulling the strings of the Green Zone government.

His speech began with a poem mourning the death of Shi'ism's leading light Imam Hussein, martyred in 680 AD. He stood in front of a big picture of his own father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadeq al-Sadr, who was murdered by Saddam Hussein's thugs. He can trace his ancestry back to the Prophet Mohamed, as noted by the honorific by which he is often addressed "Sayyid." The message is clear even to those who speak no Arabic. This man is the next generation of Shi'ite religious leaders.

Unsurprisingly, he rounded on the US, Britain and Israel, calling them "our common enemies." He stated his continued opposition to the occupation. He said, "We are still resisting the occupation through armed, cultural and all kinds of resistance, so repeat after me: no, no to occupiers." "We are still fighters," he told the crowd. "We are still resisting, we resist the occupation, militarily, culturally and all other kinds of resistance." He added, "The Iraqi government should seek to get the occupiers out of the country by all means it sees appropriate.?" He further said, "Let the whole world hear that we reject America. No, no to the occupier. We don't kill Iraqis - our hands do not kill Iraqis. We target only the occupier with all the means of resistance." The crowd interrupted in places to chant, "Yes, yes for Moqtada! Yes, yes for the leader!"

When it came to relations among his fellow Iraq-Namese, he was conciliatory about the civil war during which his Mahdi Army killed thousands of Sunnis. He stated, "Whatever happened between brothers happened, but that page must be forgotten and turned forever." Conveniently, that would let him off the hook for his role in the killings. He also called to his followers to back the Green Zone government, for now. He told the assembled crowd, "The Iraqi government has been formed. If it serves the Iraqi people, and provides services, we will stand by it, not against it. All of us will be with the Iraqi government if it serves the Iraqi people. If it doesn't, there are political - only political - ways to reform the government. This is a new government, we must give it a chance to prove that it can serve the people." And who will determine whether it is serving the people? Sayyid Moqtada al-Sadr.

His bloc in parliament won 39 seats and has secured 8 cabinet level ministries. While the Americans convinced Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki not to give them any security related portfolios, they erred by permitting them to take the housing and the labor ministries. Being able to provide a home and a job will gain the Sadrists a great deal of support. When the Americans leave at the end of this year as per the Status of Forces Agreement, the Prime Minister will take a victory lap, but in the reviewing stand applauding will be Moqtada al-Sadr. Iraq-Nam has found its Ayatollah Khomeini, and it is clear he wants the job.

© Copyright 2011 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.

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