Latest news with #al-Sadr
Shafaq News
6 days ago
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Muqtada al-Sadr bans use of family name in campaigns
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr prohibited political candidates from referencing his family name in election campaigns. 'Invoking the name al-Sadr, particularly the two martyrs, is strictly prohibited, whether explicit, implied, or suggestive,' he stated. The two martyrs are his father, Grand Ayatollah Muhammad Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr—assassinated in 1999 for opposing Saddam Hussein—and his cousin, philosopher and cleric Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr, executed in 1980. Both figures are revered across Iraq's Shiite population for their resistance to dictatorship. Al-Sadr condemned political opportunism, accusing candidates of remembering the public only during election cycles. He also addressed vote-buying, urging Iraq's economically disadvantaged citizens to accept material offers from candidates, including those he labeled corrupt while rejecting them at the ballot box. 'These are your funds, not theirs.' Al-Sadr, who leads the Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), won 73 seats in Iraq's 2021 parliamentary elections, securing the largest bloc in the legislature at the time. However, in 2022, he abruptly withdrew from the political process. Observers suggest that any potential return by al-Sadr could upend current political calculations and even delay the upcoming vote. 'Our silence is speech,' he added. 'It should not be mistaken for approval of their corruption.'
Shafaq News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Poisoned and suspicious: Al-Sadr slams Abrahamic religion initiative
Shafaq News/ Iraqi Patriotic Shiite Movement (Sadrist) leader Muqtada al-Sadr denounced, on Wednesday, the Abrahamic religion initiative, labeling it a 'poisoned and unconstructive project.' The initiative, also known as the Abrahamic family or Abrahamic religions project, seeks to foster interfaith dialogue and promote peaceful coexistence among the three monotheistic religions (Islam, Christianity, and Judaism). However, al-Sadr described it, in a statement, as a 'suspicious undertaking' that threatens to blur the doctrinal boundaries of the world's major monotheistic faiths. While acknowledging earlier conversations with proponents of the concept, he firmly rescinded any prior endorsement, outlining six conditions he believes are 'essential for genuine religious unity.' Chief among them is the recognition of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam as distinct, divinely inspired religions, each deserving full respect without being absorbed into a generalized or hybrid framework. Al-Sadr emphasized that the preservation of religious law and doctrine is 'non-negotiable,' warning against legislation that undermines sacred teachings. He also called for legal protections against blasphemy, urging the criminalization of offenses against prophets and saints. 'Those who do not recognize their sanctity cannot speak credibly of unity.' He further demanded international safeguards for religious texts, stating, 'Honoring a religion includes respecting its sacred texts.' Criticizing the initiative's philosophical foundation, al-Sadr accused its architects of attempting to dilute authentic Abrahamic traditions for the sake of a politically convenient construct. He pledged to release a comprehensive rebuttal exposing what he described as the 'flawed and deceptive logic' driving the project, cautioning against any attempt to impose it on societies without clear theological legitimacy. 'How can there be interfaith unity while wars rage, especially in Myanmar and Palestine? Stopping the bloodshed must come before advancing projects driven by narrow political interests,' he concluded.
Shafaq News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq elections: Al-Sadr's boycott 'Not Final'
Shafaq News/ The leader of Iraq's Patriotic Shiite Movement (Sadrist), Muqtada al-Sadr, is considering an indirect path to participate in the November parliamentary elections, a source close to him revealed on Monday. Speaking to Shafaq News, the source indicated that al-Sadr's election boycott is 'not final' and could shift based on political developments over the next two months. 'Plans are being discussed within al-Sadr's inner circle in al-Hanana [al-Sadr's headquarters in Najaf] to form a Sadrist-aligned electoral list—similar to the 'Sairoon' alliance previously used—without his direct endorsement,' the source clarified, pointing out that the list could be registered shortly before the nomination deadline. Last March, al-Sadr announced his decision to refrain from participating in the elections, reaffirming his 2022 withdrawal from politics after his bloc's resignation from parliament over corruption allegations. However, speculation over his potential return has persisted. His call for supporters to update their voter registrations and quiet outreach efforts by several political blocs to gauge his position have fueled renewed discussion about his possible involvement.
Shafaq News
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Police outnumbered: Sadrists stage jailbreak in Iraq's Najaf
Shafaq News/ Dozens of supporters of Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, the head of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (Sadrists), surrounded a police station in central Najaf late Friday night, freeing four detainees affiliated with al-Sadr's movement, a security source told Shafaq News. The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the confrontation erupted after security forces arrested four members of Saraya al-Salam, the armed wing of the Movement. The men were detained while attempting to raise flags representing the Movement atop al-Zahraa bridges in the center of the city, leading to a verbal altercation with police. 'Later, more than 200 Sadrists gathered and besieged the Maysan neighborhood police station,' the source said. 'They managed to forcibly release the detainees after surrounding the building.' The security source added that police forces were overwhelmed by the size of the crowd and were unable to regain control of the situation or re-arrest the freed individuals.
Shafaq News
12-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Iraq's al-Sadr urges nationwide 'angry' protests over Gaza strikes
Shafaq News/ On Saturday, Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, head of the Patriotic Shiite Movement (Sadrist), instructed his supporters to organize coordinated protests across the country in response to Israel's intensified military campaign in Gaza. In a statement, al-Sadr ordered demonstrations to begin immediately after Friday prayers at pre-designated sites in each province where his movement operates, urging participants to remain peaceful but adopt a visibly 'angry' stance. Al-Sadr also directed the burning of Israeli and American flags during the protests, instructing demonstrators to carry only Iraqi and Palestinian flags. The call for demonstrations comes amid renewed Israeli operations in Gaza following the collapse of recent ceasefire efforts. According to Gaza health authorities, more than 50,912 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children, have been killed since October 2023.
