In August 2013, Iraq’s mercurial
Moqtada al-Sadr said that he was quitting politics. His movement at first
claimed that this was a distortion by the media, and that their leader was
simply taking a break after Ramadan. That story quickly changed as hundreds of
his followers and militiamen pledged their allegiance, and begged that he
return. This appears to just be a ploy by Sadr to rally his forces, and deal
with factions that might have been considering breaking away.
Letter to Sadr signed by his
militia commanders pledging their support with their bloody thumbprints (Al-Mada)
Sadr’s movement seemed unsure of
their leaders’ status at first, but then turned it into a rallying point. At
the beginning of August, it was announced that Sadr was withdrawing from politics. That story was then denied. It was said that Moqtada was simply
upset with the security situation, and his conflict with the League of the Righteous,
a rival Shiite party, and taking a break as a result. Then it was revealed that
Sadr was in Qom, Iran where his followers visited him with a letter signed in blood by his militia leaders pledging their allegiance. A few days later
hundreds of Sadrists rallied in Najaf to renew their support for Moqtada as
well. They called for him to reverse his decision, and return to the
national stage. Before this, Sadr was complaining that people were tarnishing his
group’s image, and collecting money for their own benefit. This was a theme
that he had been pushing for several months, and resulted in him creating a
special committee led by Hazim Araji to reform his militia. In July, Sadr
warned that the name of the Mahdi Army was being exploited, and that factions
might be contemplating breaking away. Then in just a few days, he froze the commission with little explanation. The Sadr Trend has always been a
fractious group. His militia especially was never under central control rather
comprising local armed groups with little coordination. Pats of his political
movement have also broken off throughout the years. Apparently, Sadr was facing
another such situation, and felt frustrated at his inability to deal with it;
hence the formation and quick suspension of the Araji led commission. This might
have then led him to claim that he was pulling out of politics, and retiring to
Iran as a way to rally his supporters, and find out who was truly with him.
Some have also speculated that Sadr might have bowed out due to clashes with the League of the Righteous, which is vying for the mantle of being the
true legacy of Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, Moqtada’s father. However,
there have been shootouts, assassinations, and confrontations between the
groups for months now, and there didn’t appear to be any large escalation
before Sadr’s announcement. Internal problems within the Trend appear to be a
more plausible explanation for his course of action.
Moqtada al-Sadr is coming off a
high point after the 2013 provincial elections, and now may want to enforce
some order throughout his large and fractious movement. His party was not only
able to gain seats in local governments this year, but posed a serious challenge
to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s State of Law. Since then his followers have
become more and more confrontational and critical of the premier. Then it was
announced that Sadr was withdrawing from politics, which at first was denied,
but then became a huge issue within the organization. With a national vote
pending next year, perhaps Sadr thought this was the time to get his house in
order, and deal with whatever groups were not following his orders. His tactic
has succeeded in getting his forces riled up with their acts of devotion
towards him. This will probably lead to a staged return where Sadr will assure
everyone that he is now back, but more importantly, he is reassured of his
command over his movement.
SOURCES
Alsumaria, “Moqtada As Sader quits Iraqi politics and closes
down his office,” 8/5/13
Bezhan, Frud, “Reports Of Muqtada Al-Sadr’s Political Demise
May Be Greatly Exaggerated,” Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 8/19/13
Buratha News, “Sadr freezes
Commission Hazem al-Araji, and demanding leader of the
Dar Addustour, “Violent clashes between the Mahdi Army and Asaib,”
8/3/13
Al-Mada, “Araji: We want to restore prestige to the Mahdi
Army in the street through the cultural and ideological work,” 7/23/13
- “Sadr accused “the people of falsehood” of trying to
assassinate al-Araji, and declared three days of mourning,” 6/3/13
- “Sadrists “renew their allegiance” to their leader and
they call to reverse retire from politics,” 8/20/13
- “Tensions between the Sadrists and Asaib worry
neighborhoods of Baghdad and al-Khazali and clings to the truce,” 6/11/13
National Iraqi News Agency, “Sadr condemns clashes between
his supporters and / Ahlil-Haq militia/in Baghdad,” 6/3/13
New Sabah, “Sadr solemn assembly a “threat” addressed to the
Government,” 8/6/13
Al Rafidayn, “Sadr’s Mahdi Army: Be ready to support the
doctrine,” 7/21/13
Sotaliraq, “Mahdi Army Leaders “blood” loyalty and
obedience,” 8/17/13
Ur News Agency, “War fires between Asaib and the Sadrists,”
7/4/13
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