The recent protests and storming of the Iraqi presidential palace in Baghdad was a demonstration that shows the Iraqis anger and continued frustration at the government’s poor way of leading the country. It was not the first time that people have stormed and raided the Iraqi parliament and governmental buildings due to weak leadership, corruption, and conflicts between the factions and political parties, and their disloyalty to Iraq are major factors that continue to drive the unrest in Iraq.
Clearly, the majority people of Iraq follow the faith of Shia which is a sect of Islam. Therefore, the Shia political parties have the majority of seats in the parliament and many of them are supported by Iran. But oddly one of the most popular and influential Shia clerics and political figures has been refusing to obey Iran and serve the political interests of the Iranian leaders. Muqtada Al-Sadr, a religious cleric and a powerful politician who leads the Sadrist Movement and a political group called “the peace companies” (which held the majority of seats in the Iraqi parliament), has always defied the rest of the political parties and criticized them for their disloyalty and corruption.
On August 28, in a surprise announcement, Muqtada Al-Sadr exited the political process and withdrew the members of his movement from the parliament. Despite the fact that Iraq had elections back in October 2021, the political parties are continually unable to form a government, of which Al-Sadr’s movement would be part of, so there was no agreement on complete reform. Al-Sadrr’s disagreements with his rival Iranian-backed Shia factions, and his opposition to Iranian intervention in Iraq’s political process, has been exasperating the Iranian regime and its linked militia in Iraq.
However, Al-Sadr’s withdrawal from politics resulted in protests by his supporters in Baghdad and some other Southern Cities of Iraq. Obviously, the Iraqis are fed up with the corruption of the government that is deteriorating the country. In the past, Muqtada Al-Sadr has demanded reforms without the influence of foreign countries, and he has spoken out against the government and its corrupt officials. However, the politicians have always created barriers to his suggestions and refused any reconciliation. The situation in Iraq is more complicated than it seems and there is no indication of improvement given the country’s many different factions and militia groups.
However, the influence of Muqtada Al-Sadr is daunting and Iraqi politicians and rival factions have now seen the anger of his supporters during the protesting and storming of the Green Zone which is still considered the secure area of Iraqis’ officials.
Also, we need to remember that in 2004, Muqtada Al-Sadr lead major resistance to the U.S operation in Iraq. Despite the fact that his father, Muhammad Sadiq Al-Sadr, (a reputed Shia clergy) was assassinated along with two of Muqtada’s brothers allegedly by the former Iraqi regime in 1999. But Muqtada did not support the U.S during the Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003. Al-Sadr, considered the U.S operation in Iraq as an invasion, therefore, he established a militia called, Mahdi Militia, and began fighting the U.S troops in the highly Shia populated areas and neighborhoods in Iraq in 2004.
Today, Muqtada Al-Sadr is the only figure who is able to send thousands of his supporters to the streets of the cities of Iraq to protest, and he is the only voice that loudly opposing the intervention of Iran in Iraq. Therefore, it does not appear that the Iraqi sky will be clear from these dark clouds anytime soon.
– Serwan Zanagna
