KR: Al-Sadr emerging as a highly influential political leader

[Rose Siding]

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Muqtada al-Sadr, the firebrand Shiite Muslim cleric who just a year ago encouraged his followers to kill U.S. soldiers, has successfully transformed his ragtag followers into a political force that could dramatically reshape the next parliament.

Preliminary results show al-Sadr supporters holding as many as 31 seats in the 275-seat parliament, a number, if it holds, that would make Sadrists the single-largest group in Iraq's first democratically elected permanent parliament. The Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq will release official election results as early as next week.
.....
Al-Sadr has presented himself as a voice for downtrodden, Shiite Iraqis who suffered some of the worst oppression during the Saddam Hussein's regime. In the Baghdad slum of Sadr City, he has a following of nearly 2.5 million people, nearly half the capital's population. In addition, he has millions of supporters in mostly Shiite southern Iraq......

Sadrists are now saying that they're keen for the military and police to employ members of their Mahdi Army, pointing out that members of other militias, such as the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Shiite Badr Brigade, have already joined the security forces. They said that their followers need jobs to walk away from violence. Other parties in the United Iraqi Alliance slate said they support that idea.

http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/13510051.htm

[Demeter]

1. Another Castro, Another Khomenei

Does Bush know how to pick his fights, or what?

[wtmusic]

2. Sadr is neither a Communist nor a strict fundamentalist

and at one point it was our express goal to kill him (until we realized he was too powerful)

[Demeter]

3. He's A Populist Leader AND a Religious One

A combination that Bush lusted after and never really achieved because he has neither humanity nor morals.

[wtmusic]

4. interesting comparison

:thumbsup:

[Demeter]

5. Even More Telling, He Has a Legitimate Enemy

Bush ignores his target (binLadin) and goes on a vendetta.

[gizmo1979]

6. We'll have to fight them there again

so they don't attack us here again.Bush's house of cards continues to crumble.That's the great thing about democracies things don't always turn out as you plan.