Al-Sadr Calling for Protests in Baghdad For Tomorrow

I had almost forgotten about Muqtada Al-Sadr, I had thought maybe he was locked away somewhere but it seems he's still out and about stirring the pot. Wasn't this guy involved in a standoff with the US in a mosque? Why wasn't he jailed?

Two Years After Fall of Baghdad, Protests Planned for Square Where Saddam Statue Was Toppled

Now radical Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is urging his supporters to mass at the square Saturday and mark the anniversary by directing anger at the U.S.-led coalition.

"The occupation forces started with this place, and now from this same place we want them to leave Iraq," said Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Daraji, a spokesman for al-Sadr, who led uprisings against coalition forces last year.

"They have toppled Saddam and now we want them out. The situation in Iraq is going from bad to worse. The Iraqis saw no good during these two years of occupation."

Sheik Hareth al-Dhari, the leader of the Association of Muslim Scholars, an influential group of hard-line Sunni Muslim clerics suspected of having ties to the Iraqi insurgency, also urged people to take to the streets Saturday.

"We call on all Iraqis to demonstrate tomorrow in all of Iraq's cities against the occupation," al-Dhari told worshippers during his Friday sermon.

Al-Daraji said al-Sadr's supporters will demand that foreign troops leave or at least set a timetable for withdrawal. They will also call for putting Saddam on trial and freeing prisoners held in "occupation prisons," he said.

A year ago, U.S. soldiers tore down al-Sadr posters in an otherwise almost empty Firdos Square because of a curfew imposed to prevent any gatherings on the anniversary.

This year, news of the planned protest brought a Friday attack by gunmen on al-Sadr supporters in Baghdad, killing one official and wounding two, al-Daraji said. He said al-Sadr's office had asked Iraqi police and army to protect Saturday's gathering.

Funny how he is asking for protection for his supporters, I wonder who exactly were the "gunmen" that targeted his supporters.



[edit on 4-8-2005 by worldwatcher]

Here's the story on the attack on Al-Sadr's supporters
Gunfire Showers Shiite Cleric Supporters

Gunmen fired on supporters of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr Friday, killing one person and injuring two others as they made their way to protests planned for the second anniversary of Baghdad's fall to U.S.-led troops.

Al-Sadr's army marches again

Interesting article about the "Army Moqtada al-Sadr"

"Wherever America is present, then there is terrorism,'' says Saadi. ``When they ask the terrorists why they're here, they say we came to fight America. If America leaves, there would be no terrorism. Terrorism would leave with it.''

Over the loudspeakers set up in the small town of Gharaf, a backwater of southern Iraq, the commands came in staccato bursts. "Forward!'' a man clad in black shouts to the militiamen. "March!''

Al-Sadr is messing with the wrong bunch in Iraq.
Look at who is who in the top tiers of the government and one will see that Al-Sadr will find no love or support from any of them, Shiites included.

He can express all he wants, but sooner or later, Shiite supreme leaders will shut him down in due time.




seekerof

Originally posted by Seekerof
Al-Sadr is messing with the wrong bunch in Iraq.
Look at who is who in the top tiers of the government and one will see that Al-Sadr will find no love or support from any of them, Shiites included.

He can express all he wants, but sooner or later, Shiite supreme leaders will shut him down in due time.




seekerof

Yes free speach at its finest in the new democratic Iraq. Oh well wait and see is my philosophy especially when it comes to messes like this. We'll see if the actual wishes of Iraqis are met by the new govt.

I was just reading this article on the internet 2 days ago but now I can't find it, Al-Sadr effectivly controls Basra, Nazeria, Najaf, and other Shiite stronghold because the police forces in those cities are loyal to him, and the Mehdi Army can overwealm the cops in those areas anytime they want, for example: in Naseria- The police chief, who talks only good things of al-sadr because al-sadrs men saved his life from the rival 'badr brigades' said he can field 5000 cops in his area, but the mehdi army can field 20,000 militants who are better trained and armed, so his area is basicallt controlled by al-sadr..

Al-sadr will give the puppet govt a little more time to set a time-table for the foriegn occupiers to leave, when they re-fuse to do that, there will be an uprising again in the Shiite areas just like the one before but now the mehdi army is better equiped and trained and they will be able to kill more Americans in this new round of fighting that will probably start in about a month or so..

This guy is getting very tiresome. How many times will he paint himself into a corner and then promise to be good before we finally take him out into the desert and bury him?

"Wherever America is present, then there is terrorism,'' says Saadi. ``When they ask the terrorists why they're here, they say we came to fight America. If America leaves, there would be no terrorism. Terrorism would leave with it.''

Try to integrate your intentional murder of innocent civilians into that statement. I'd love to hear some doublespeak.

Try to integrate your intentional murder of innocent civilians into that statement.

Al Sadr has been intentionally murdering innocent civilians?
Do you have even the slightest scrap of evidence for that, or did you just make it up on the spot?

Those protest were huge.
They seemed to be on the scale of the first anti-Syrian protests in Lebanon when Bush said the people have spoken and it's time for Syria to end the occupation of Lebanon.





Two video clips here:
2005-04-09 Shiites Mark Anniversary of Baghdad's Fall (AP).wmv

2005-04-09 Sadr supporters march in Baghdad Iraq (Reuters).asf

What some has forgotten is that Al-Sadr is well liked and well known among his people not the elite that now forms the Iraqi government and its pro American agenda.

But the regular Iraqi, the struggling and targeted Iraqis and their families the ones that all they have so far is hardships.

Those are Sadr's followers, and to tell you the truth they are majority in Baghdad.

I am not surprised of the outcome.

Originally posted by xmotex

Try to integrate your intentional murder of innocent civilians into that statement.

Al Sadr has been intentionally murdering innocent civilians?
Do you have even the slightest scrap of evidence for that, or did you just make it up on the spot?

Re-read the post and see who said what.

You're welcome.

Yeah, that may be so Marg, but then again, apparently many do not like or support him or his supporters would not have come under fire a day ago [Friday], when doing some marches.

He is simply trying to remain relevant within the Shiites, since he had been irrelevant for the longest time after his escapades in confronting the US and coalition last year.

Your assertion that Sadr's followers are a "majority" in Baghdad are backed by what? How many people live in Baghdad? If it wasn't for the US and Coalition forces still being there, what would Al-Sadr be? What would he be doing? He would be what he is currently trying not to be: irrelevant.

Those pictures are impressive. Its always good to see people out voicing their concerns and praises.






seekerof

Originally posted by marg6043
What some has forgotten is that Al-Sadr is well liked and well known among his people not the elite that now forms the Iraqi government and its pro American agenda.

But the regular Iraqi, the struggling and targeted Iraqis and their families the ones that all they have so far is hardships.

That may be true, but this has happened too many times with him:

Mehdi Army Ready to Fight Terrorists
A day late, as I've been down with the Dreaded Lurgy, but here we have from the AFP via the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) the latest from Al Sadr :
Radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's Mehdi Army has declared a truce by loud speaker in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, saying it is ready to help protect important sites from terror attacks.
"Considering the exceptional circumstances that our people face, we have decided to stop from tonight the military operations in Sadr City until we receive new orders," the militia's central committee said.

"All the Mehdi Army will respect this decision or face expulsion."

The Mehdi Army is offering to protect Government buildings, hospitals, power stations, water stations, service stations and oil refineries.

Fighting has rocked the Shiite Muslim slum of Sadr City almost nightly since Sadr rose up against US forces in the first week of April.

The statement says the Mehdi Army is ready to protect "all those who might be targeted by terrorists notably in the coming two weeks," referring to the June 30 handover of power in Iraq.

"The Mehdi Army proves day after day it cares for the greater interests of the oppressed people of Iraq," it said.

Mehdi

Every time he gets in trouble he cries "Truce!" so that he can get his fat butt out of harm's way. Time to make him face the consequences.

Actually I was researching and found out that his position among the population and his popularity has given him immunity from other groups including the US, if he become target of the US or government in Iraq retaliation will be worst that already has been against the US troops.

The man has his influence on the people and that is something that can not be taken away.

And that is a fact.

Right now troops are targeted everyday in Iraq by insurgents.

And that is also a fact.