Sadr calls for peace
After an unexplained four month absence, Moqtada Sadr returned to the Iraqi political scene Friday, in time to host prayers services in a Mosque in Southern Iraq. His sermon, the Sadr equivalent of a press conference, had a nationalistic tone, urging the United States to pull out of Iraq and respect Iraqi sovereignty.
In addition, the Shiite cleric, who leads the Sadrist bloc - one of the largest blocs in the Iraqi parliament -, called upon Iraqi’s of Sunni, Shiite and Christian beliefs to “shake the hands of the other and embrace” reminding the crowd “it’s haram [prohibited by Islam] for the Iraqi’s to kill any Iraqi Sunni or Christian.”
Many Sunni’s are skeptical because Sadr is the leader of the Mahdi Army - a powerful militia. Whether he means it or not, it’s refreshing to hear peaceful rhetoric coming from the anti-US side even if it’s just shallow rhetoric.
Article: Sadr Returns
This entry was contributed by Tony Cella.