Unattributed report, including portions of interviews given by Muqtada al-Sadr to various newpapers: "Muqtada al-Sadr, the Symbol of Resistance of Shiites Against the Occupiers in Iraq"; all ellipses as published
(FBIS Translated Text)
Note: The American soldiers occupied the sacred land of Iraq last year.
They have since been faced with the organized resistance of the Shiite youth in Shiite areas of Iraq especially, in the cities of holy Al-Najaf and Karbala, under the leadership of a young religious student from the household of Ayatollah al-Sadr, called "Muqtada," who is determined to fight against the occupiers through armed resistance. This resistance is a great obstacle for implementation of the US plans for Iraq. The Americans, who are careless about the logic and positions of this Shiite group, consider them to be terrorists that block their way and they have started to prosecute the group.
This resistance and the reaction of the Americans are among the main elements that are shaping Iraqi developments, and they have eventually led to the uplifting of the social status of Muqtada al-Sadr and increasing disdain of the people against the occupier Americans. However, the curious people of the Islamic Iran, who are following the news of political incidents in Iraq, only hear the reports about the struggles of Sadr and no one really knows who he is.
Who is Muqtada al-Sadr?
Muqtada al-Sadr is the younger son of Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, one of the prominent and influential scholars of Iraq. His father and his father's cousin, Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Baqr al-Sadr (former sources of Taqleed or emulation in Iraq), along with his two other brothers, were martyred during the Saddam's regime due to their pivotal roles in the struggle of the people against Saddam. After that incident, Muqtada al-Sadr went into hiding and preferred an underground life. Following the martyrdom of Muqtada al-Sadr's father on 29 Bahman 1377 (18 February 1998), he spent his time working for the reestablishment of relations between some of his father's supporters.
The latter group was mainly made up of the zealous young people and they formed the core of an establishment called "amat Al-Sadr Sani" (Association of Al-Sadr, the Second). They supported Muqtada al-Sadr. Although Muqtada al-Sadr is only 30 years old and he has not gone through the Islamic theological school, and no source of emulation has empowered him to issue religious orders, his political and religious convictions and his furious speeches against the occupiers and in favor of the establishment of the Islamic government in Iraq has succeeded to attract a spectrum of zealot Shiites in the cities of Iraq, especially in Al-Sadr City in the vicinity of Baghdad.
Following the fall of Saddam, Muqtada al-Sadr could activate some of the sources of charity and some offices of his father in various Iraqi cities and attracted people like Shaykh Muhammad Ya'qubi, a supporter of his father, to work with him. He has prepared a letters of association for the group that puts focus on the establishment of an Islamic government on the basis of the Islamic rulings and jurisprudence for Iraq.
Muqtada al-Sadr is the son-in-law of the martyred Ayatollah Seyyed Muhammad Baqr al-Sadr. For the same reason, he is the most important heritage of the Al-Sadr dynasty. In fact, the oldest figure in the Al-Sadr dynasty is another person called "Seyyed Husayn al-Sadr," who is known as a moderate Shiite cleric and he is not hated by the Western countries. Although he is has differences with Muqtada al-Sadr and his followers, he has acknowledged their sincerity in his speeches. Once he had made his support from the Iraqi Governing Council to the participation of a member from Muqtada al-Sadr's group in it. Of course, Muqtada al-Sadr does not wish to participate in the Iraqi Governing Council because he does not recognize them.
Muqtada al-Sadr has followed the practice of his father and he has divided the Islamic theological Schools of Iraq into two groups -- active and passive. He considers himself as the representative of the active section. This kind of position has led to conflicts between him and Ayatollah al-Sistani and some other scholars of the Al-Najaf and Karbala Theological Schools and has put the political approaches of these scholars under question. Muqtada al-Sadr is a supporter of Ayatollah al-Sistani, but because Al-Sistani is not ready to fight with the American occupiers and he does not want to participate in the political affairs and take positions on the current affairs, Muqtada al-Sadr, following his father's practice, believes that the sources of Taqlid must master all issues of the people who follow them, and actively participate in all political and nonpolitical affairs and in sensitive times they must be a critical center for defending the religious and national values.
There are other misunderstandings between Muqtada al-Sadr and Ayatollah al-Sistani in the field of political issues. Some figures believe that Muqtada al-Sadr and his group apparently oppose the political approaches of Ayatollah al-Sistani, but in fact they oppose the Iranian origins of the Iraqi source of Taqlid and they look for unification of an Arabic source of Taqlid. According to this view, Muqtada al-Sadr is not ready to admit that a non-Arab controls the religious affairs of the Iraqi Shiites.
On the other side, a great number of observers believe that Muqtada al-Sadr has no anti-Iranian problem and they refer to the support of Ayatollah al-Ha'iri by Muqtada al-Sadr. Ayatollah Seyyed Kadhim al-Ha'iri, who is a source of Taqlid for Muqtada al-Sadr, is originally Iranian and Muqtada al-Sadr's father followed him not because of racial origins, but because he was convinced that Ayatollah al-Ha'iri was a fully qualified source of Taqlid. Ayatollah al-Ha'iri, who was among the founders of the Iraqi Hizbioldavaeh, in 1351(1973), was deported from Iraq due to having an Iranian ID card. He has been living in Qom since that time. Muqtada al-Sadr was 17 years old when Saddam suppressed the uprising of the Shiites in the south of Iraq (1991) and he was 24 years old when his father, Seyyed Muhammad Sadiq al-Sadr, was martyred.
Before the US attack against Iraq, and the collapse of Saddam, Muqtada al-Sadr's political clout and the number of his supporters were unknown to the Americans. At this juncture, the opponents of Saddam had reached the conclusion that they should have a kind of political coordination. However, even these groups were ignorant about the existence of the movement led by Muqtada al-Sadr as the representative of the great majority of the Shiites. For the same reason, the United States had made no contacts with the group of Muqtada al-Sadr during the preparations before the attack against Saddam. They did not have any interaction or negotiations. Nowadays, both the United States and the groups opposed to Saddam are surprised to see the movement of the zealous young Shiites under the leadership of Muqtada al-Sadr and they are finding this new element as an obstacle for their plans in Iraq.
It seems that at the moment the Americans have understood the extent of power of Muqtada al-Sadr and his supporters among the Iraqi Shiites and they are trying to eliminate the Muqtada al-Sadr's group before the deadline for transfer of power in Iraq at the end of June. Even if they do not succeed to eliminate Muqtada al-Sadr's group, the Americans want to use the propaganda tactics and political deception methods to make the Iraqi people pessimistic about Muqtada al-Sadr.
As far as the views and aims of the Jamat Sadr Sani are concerned, political and journalistic circles inside and outside of Iraq have issued various comments. Some of these comments are only in line with the intentions of the Western occupiers and they have no attention to the real circumstances in Iraq. The latter have not been impartial and they are clearly based on political considerations. Undoubtedly, these methods of informing the public do not satisfy the people. In this writing, we have tried to stay away from any judgment and point only at what Muqtada al-Sadr has said during various interviews with mass media.
The Interview of the Italian Newspaper, IL Massagero, with Muqtada al-Sadr
(Unidentified correspondent) Mr. al-Sadr! Where are you just now? Are you in hiding?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) I am in Al-Najaf and I am not hiding from anyone. I am ready to die any minute. The ghost of my father is behind me. He was the person who resisted in front of the cruelest ruler of the world (Saddam) and fought. I am fighting with the same name for a free and developed Iraq.
(Correspondent) Wasn't it better that you cooperated with the coalition forces instead of opposing them?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) First we have to make one issue clear. Our people do not tolerate invasion and occupation and they condemned attacks to Iraqi cities. Americans and their coalition forces have shown contradictory treatments recently. The people of the countries that have taken part in the coalition must know and convince their politicians that the only way for solving the problem is the return of the soldiers to their homelands. No one is able to conceal what is happening in Iraq.
(Correspondent) What is the reason for your armed activities against the American Forces?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) We did not start the invasion. They are putting the Iraqi men and women in prisons and torturing them. Many of our innocent people are killed. Our activities are the reaction to such sad incidents. I am surprised that the people, who talk about civilization, commit such crimes against our nation that seeks freedom and removal of the occupation. This treatment is not tolerated and we have developed a deep haltered.
(Correspondent) What are your aims in forming the Al-Mahdi army?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) I do not have any authority in this formation. The faith and convictions of the young people have formed this great army. It is known to everybody that before these incidents, the members of this army worked for peace and assistance to the poor and weak people. But now the question of invasion and attack against our country is here. We are armed to defend the people of Iraq and ourselves. They have accused us that we have formed an armed opposition group. This is a big lie.
Interview of the Iraqi Web Site of Al-Ketabah with Muqtada al-Sadr
(Correspondent) How old are you exactly?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) I was born in the beginning of 1974, or 20th of Zihajjeh 1393.
(Correspondent) It is said that during religious studies, you have jumped to the Kharej (Foreign) level, without going through the normal (Sath) courses, and after finishing the elementary courses?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) I started religious studies since I was 14 years old.
Therefore, I have been studying for 16 years, and going through all of these courses takes less than this.
(Correspondent) Who is your source of emulation (Taqlid)? Whom do you imitate for the daily issues?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) My source of Taqlid is Martyr al-Sadr. For the daily issues, I follow Ayatollah al-Ha'iri.
(Correspondent) Why didn't you oppose the occupation of Iraq in the middle of the war or (at least) immediately after the fall of Saddam?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) It was clear that toppling the former regime of Iraq was one of the aims of the Western coalition in starting the war. This was also a wish that undoubtedly all Iraqis had. However, the people of Iraq were not able to realize this wish. This was proved in the uprising of 1990 in the Shiite south of Iraq. Now, that several months have passed from the occupation of Iraq, it has become clear for every aware and faithful person in Iraq that what was the case and what were the Americans looking for. At the same time, whatever we do against the coalition of the Americans is far less than what can be called a confrontation or resistance. If we really decide to confront the coalition, with the help and power of God, nothing will remain from the occupiers.
(Correspondent) What is your answer to the accusations about the assassination of Abd-al-Majid al-Khu'i?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) Abd-al-Majid al-Khu'i was assassinated on 10 April (22nd of Farvardin 1382). Those who performed these operations were arrested a short while later by the paramilitary groups that controlled Al-Najaf at that time, but suddenly all of them disappeared. These assassins were related to the unknown circles inside Al-Najaf. Now, after one year we hear such accusations. My question to those who accuse us is: If a member of my office or I committed this murder, why are you tabling the accusations now and after one year? This shows that the perpetrators of this assassination have satanic aims.
(Correspondent) The verdict for arresting you is issued. But you are not ready to stand the trial. Don't you think if you surrender, the crisis will be over?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) The verdict for my arrest is a planned action and a dirty trick for the reasons that I tell everybody, including these reasons:
1. The verdict is issued by the Iraqi Governing Council, which is not basically competent to do so.
2. Even if we consider the Iraqi Governing Council, that the Americans confirm all of its members, as a legal entity, still the verdict has not been attested in a court of law. The minister of justice and the head of the Judiciary have said that they knew nothing about this verdict. This is important and indicates to the concealed aims of the designers of these plans.
3. According to the law, in all criminal cases, the order to arrest is valid for 45 days and after that it is not valid. How come that this order is permanent?
4. Undoubtedly, we surrender to the law enforcement officials when we are assured that they do not issue sentences according to the behind the scene elements and the judge is free from political pressures.
(Correspondent) What is your comment about the statement that the Al-Mahdi army (Jaish Al Mahdi) is a force established to create balance between Jamat al-Sadr Sani and the Badr Army (Sepah Badr) of the High Council of Iraq?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) Noting the chaotic situation of Iraq, and also taking into consideration that the United States is forcing the Iraqis to face a fait accompli, what is wrong with establishment of institutions for the balance of power? However, when all quasi-military forces in Iraq are disarmed, we will also follow the line.
(Correspondent) What do you think about democracy and decision making by people's votes in a secular government?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) If democracy means the government of the majority on the people, without violating the minority rights, then we have called for it even before the Fatwa (religious rulings) of the sources of Taqlid. We have also supported it after the Fatwa of the sources of Taqlid. We have called for it along the other people in the demonstrations. We have declared repeatedly that one day after holding a free election in Iraq, we will not have a single paramilitary force.
(Correspondent) What do you think about the demands of the Kurds for realization of their rights through a federal government?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) We agree with a federal government if it consists of the whole country. We do not want a separate sovereignty with different flags, armies and governments. Everybody knows that the Kurds want to form an independent country. However, the regional and international circumstances do not let them to do so.
(Correspondent) Do you think that your resistance against the occupiers will be successful?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) Self-defense is a religious duty. We did not enter into war with anyone. The recent incidents of Iraq are nothing but self-defense and protection of the holy sites. No reasonable person thinks during self-defense that he will succeed or not. When we saw that the invaders attacked our holy cities with tanks and killed our people, we took arms to defend.
(Correspondents) Suppose that the coalition forces leave Iraq as you say. How are you able to secure the Iraqi borders in lieu of the greed of the neighboring countries?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) We insist that the departure of the coalition forces must be scheduled and guaranteed through the United Nations. After a healthy and free election, the coalition forces must go and the legal government will take care of the border security.
(Correspondent) You believe in the supremacy of the Islamic Shiite jurisprudence (Velayate Faghih, as in Iran). Are you going to force the minorities and Kurds to accept that regime?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) This question reveals your ignorance of the Islamic jurisprudence. Velayate Faghih does not need a coup or revolution to get the power. The Faghih (expert of jurisprudence) gets the power from the public acceptance of the people and this is especially for the Shiites. Then how is it possible to impose it upon Sunnis or others? In the Islamic government we believe that the votes of people is superior to all other issues. When my father was speaking about the Velayate Faghih, he used to insist that the extent of his power is the extent of his guidance and he rejected the idea of generality of the Velayte Faghih.
(Correspondent) Are you going to participate in the new government, which will be formed after 30 of June?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) I have repeated this many times and I repeat it again. My followers and I will not enter the government apparatus, whether the government is legal or illegal. We believe that the only way out of Iraqi crisis is holding a national conference under the supervision of the United Nations or the Islamic countries or both. The conference may choose a government that will work free of great power pressures. Most of the Iraqi army will be invited to work and secure the country. Later all military groups will be disarmed.
Interview of the German magazine, Der Spiegel, with Muqtada al-Sadr
(Correspondent) You are calling for the immediate departure of the American occupiers. Don't you think this will result in more chaos in Iraq?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) We have to hate any kind of occupation. The more the occupiers stay here, the situation will get worse. The Americans must go. Otherwise, the tides of violence will extend to everywhere. The occupiers must prepare a schedule for their departure and get out of Iraq under the supervision of the United Nations. Today is better than tomorrow for this.
(Correspondent) Don't you think you are wrong? Some people believe that if they (coalition forces) were not here, many conflicts appeared much worse the present ones?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) The Americans have created this situation. It seems that do not want and they are not able to establish public order and security. The attack against the UN Headquarters in Baghdad proved that. Attacks against the clerics in Al-Najaf proved that the forces of George Bush are sources of insecurity. If the occupiers had a better security policy, these incidents would not happen. This is what the friends and enemies agree on it.
(Correspondent) There is some evidence that Al-Qaiida has infiltrated Iraq. What is your comment?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) If this is true, then it is yet another proof of the inefficiency of the Americans. We have to act quickly. However, we should not ignore our first duty, which is ending the occupation.
(Correspondent) Many of your religious fellow travelers believe that the presence of the US Forces in Iraq until the establishment of a democratic government is logical.
(Muqtada al-Sadr) Do you really think that the Americans are able to bring democratic government for us? The soldiers of Mr. Bush are not here to present American democracy to us.
(Correspondent) Why are they here?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) Washington had planned the program of attack to Iraq well ahead of this. They ate after their own interests. For the same reason, they will leave Iraq only when their interests are served.
(Correspondent) The Iraqi Governing Council is trying to prepare a democratic future for Iraq...
(Muqtada al-Sadr) ...What a deplorable group! These 25 persons that Paul Bremer, the American ruler of Iraq, has handpicked are in no way the representatives of Iraq.
(Correspondent) There is a number of prominent Muslim Shiites in the new council.
(Muqtada al-Sadr) This does not change anything. They do not represent the Iraqis. They are not responsible to the people and they only answer to Bremer and listen to him.
(Correspondent) What is the political alternative of the council?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) The occupiers must hold the elections very soon. The people must decide about the political structure. This can be a beginning. This has to happen now, not later. The Americans do not set a time for the elections so that they act, as they like.
(Correspondent) Out of the council's 25 members, 13 persons are Shiite.
Apparently they have paid enough attention to the Shiites.
(Muqtada al-Sadr) This is not the question. The problem is selection of the members by the occupiers. Many of the council members do not have necessary capabilities. There is not a single scholar from Al-Najaf in the council. This means mocking the human reason. This council is not able to do anything. We boycott it. As far as we are concerned, the council does not exist at all.
(Correspondent) You support the elections, but you reject the Governing Council. Who should hold the elections?
(Muqtada al-Sadr) Politicians elected by the people.
(Description of Source: Tehran Jomhuri-ye Eslami (Internet Version-WWW) in Persian -- Tehran daily insisting on strict adherence to Khomeyni's ideals. Claims to be factionally independent but takes extremely conservative positions)
Translated from the original by WNC.
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