Muqtada Al-Sadr: A Voice Of Resistance
By Ghali Hassan
19 August, 2004
Countercurrents.orgImmediately after the invasion and occupation of Iraq, the US and its allies embarked on a long colonial tradition of divide and rule. The creation of the "Iraqi Governing Council" on ethnic and sectarian divisions is a good example. Iraqis know this very well. The current "Iraqi Interim Government" is a gang of expatriate criminals and quislings. This division is the US prelude to instigate civil war between Iraqis and justify US Occupation of Iraq.
The Iraqi people did not "welcome" the occupying forces. It was a carefully staged lie. Iraqis bitterly resent the occupation forces. After the fall of Baghdad and the emergence of the nature of the Occupation, opposition and resistance to US forces was instant.
The Iraqi resistance groups varied, some are former soldiers and unemployed professionals and workers but others are religious leaders with local and family influence. They spread throughout the country. Although, these groups are not centrally linked, almost all of them shared an enthusiastic devotion to Islam and an enthusiastic rejection of the US-British Occupation of Iraq. The rise of Sayyid Muqtada Al-Sadr is a good example.
Contrary to Western liberals and pundits, Sayyid Muqtada Al-Sadr is not a "marginal leader". Muqtada was born and lives in Iraq, and has large following among Iraqis. Muqtada draws on the respect and legacy of his family. Muqtada's father, Imam Muhammad Sadiq Al-Sadr who was loved and respected for his opposition to the regime of Saddam Hussein was assassinated with his two other sons in Najaf in 1999. Muqtada is also the son-in-law of Imam Muhammad Bakir Al-Sadr. Imam Bakir Al-Sadr was executed in 1980 for his opposition to Saddam's regime. The family is well respected among Iraqis and Muslims worldwide. It is important to remember that Sayyid Muqtada did not live in exile during Saddam's regime.
Unlike Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Muqtada Al-Sadr is not controlled by outside forces, such as Iran. Sistani is an Iranian citizen and draws much of his support from Iran. Sistani has good following in Najaf, but very little support in the rest of Iraq. Ayatollah Sistani is like Ayatollah Khomeini who lived in Najaf for many years, and remained unknown to Iraqis until his departure to Iran in 1979. Sistani is promoted by the Occupation authority because of his quietness to the Occupation. He is like a small UN, that is
why the US like him. His departure to London, escorted by Ahmad Chalabi, before the US attack on Najaf shows his real concern for Iraqis. His "illness" couldn't't come at a better moment. Bush and Blair must be dancing to the tune of his silence.The dismantling of the Iraqi state by the US Occupation forced Al-Sadr movement to organise and fill the power vacuum. The movement of young urban and dedicated grassroots Iraqis began providing social and health services and security for neighbourhoods. In a report issued in September 2003, the
Belgium-based International Crisis Group credits Al-Sadr's movement for keeping the peace in poor Shiite sections of Baghdad after the fall of Saddam's regime. "Within weeks of the regime's collapse, Al-Sadr's representatives claimed to have employed 50,000 volunteers in east Baghdad to provide refuse collection, hospital meals and traffic control," the report says.Western media continues using the distorted and misleading terms of calling Muqtada Al-Sadr, "radical cleric", and Iraqis who are resisting the occupation "militia men". The media should report honestly instead and show the ugly picture of US violence in Iraq. The sickening lies perpetuated by
The New York Times and The Washington Post are shameful.The allegation that Muqtada Al-Sadr is supported by Iran is unfounded and untrue. Iran and Iraq are neighbours, and shared cultural and religious ties. The people of both countries welcome good relations.
Muqtada call to armed resistance against the US Occupation after he has exhausted the peaceful methods of democratic elections, and protested against the US violence and undermining of democratic means. The US Occupation Authority provoked Al-Sadr movement by closing the Al-Hawza, the movement newspaper, which sparked a wave of peaceful demonstrations and distribution of anti-Occupation information. The US forces violently attacked Al-Sadr followers and arrested many of them, including Al-Sadr communications officer. Thousands of innocent people were killed as a result of US violence. The Mahdi Army is the movement-armed resistance fighting the Occupation forces.
Muqtada was the first to denounce the Occupation and acknowledge publicly that the Americans were in Iraq to stay and rob the country of its wealth. Muqtada is also the first to announce that the Americans and their allies must be expelled by force from Iraq. Muqtada, like all Iraqis, has a legitimate right under international law to denounce and resist the Occupation.
The Occupation forces and their quislings tried to co-opt Muqtada Al-Sadr, but he refused to support the appointed thugs and the US Occupation. Muqtada said that there could be no ordinary politics under Occupation. He said Iraq must be free of all Occupation and of the authority of collaborators with the Occupation. More than 70% of Iraqis view Muqtada Al-Sadr favourably and his popularity is rising, thanks to American terrorism.
The indiscriminate attacks on Kut, Samara, Hilla, and Fallujah and other cities in Iraq show the brutality of a racist and fascist force eager to enforce its corrupt rules on the people of Iraq. The destruction of Iraqi cities and infrastructure is reminiscent of that of Genghis Khan in the Middle Ages. Water and electricity have been cut off in Iraq for a week, leaving the remaining civilians there in dire straits. Is this the freedom and democracy the US is selling? The Occupation brought only miseries to Iraqis.
The attack on Najaf, the holiest city in Iraq, was designed to silence the majority of Iraqis, and legitimise an unelected group of thugs and criminals picked up by the US to serve its interests in Iraq against the interests of the Iraqi People. It is an attack on civilisation by the forces of evil.
Najaf is visited by Muslims from all over the world. It is in Najaf where Imam Ali ibn Abu Talib, the son-in-law and cousin of the Prophet Mohammad, was buried. The Imam Ali shrine is the most sacred place in Iraq. For more than a week, US forces have besieged and attacked Najaf with bombs and shells. The Americans should be ashamed of their fascist government.
The Americans are not in Iraq to promote democracy. The US is the enemy of democracy and democratic movements in the Developing World. You only need to look around you to see how brutally the US attacking democracy. There are plenty of examples. Democracy means the people (Iraqis or South Americans) managing their own affairs and wealth. Democracy means independence and sovereignty. Iraqis do not need the type of democracy the US promoted by the power of tanks and cluster bombs. The US is not a good example to emulate; the US is a failed experiment.
Finally, the recent sectarian and ethnic tensions in Iraq are not the product of deep-seated cultural differences. They are the product of Western imperialism and colonialism in the Middle East. The only path for peaceful world is for the US to follow the path of civilised nations and stop acting violently and unjustly. The only path to peace is to end the occupation of Iraq. Iraqis must be free from US tyranny.
Ghali Hassan lives in Perth, Western Australia. He can be contacted at:
[email protected]
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