2,000 Protest Against al-Sadr By Andrew L. Jaffee, May 22, 2004	Home   Search   Forum   Terms

Yesterday, over 2,000 Iraqis held a demonstration in the city of Karbala insisting that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his militiamen -- thugs -- get out of town. On May 11, about 1,000 moderate Shiite Muslims protested against al-Sadr in the neighboring town of Najaf. So before we throw in the towel on Iraq, let’s remind ourselves that good things are happening in there.

Power-hungry al-Sadr has been stirring up trouble in Najaf, Karbala, and Baghdad since early April. Obviously, there are Iraqis who are tired of his extremism. Najaf's new governor and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) have both called for al-Sadr get out of Najaf and Karbala. Al-Sadr has alienated Iraq’s most prominent Shiite, Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani. But there have been differing accounts of al-Sadr’s tribulations.

The rabidly left-wing BBC today was celebrating too soon:

Fighters loyal to the radical Shia cleric, Moqtada Sadr, have agreed to withdraw from the centre of Karbala. …

US troops began pulling out on Friday and there has been intense pressure for Mr Sadr's fighters to follow suit.

Radio Free Europe gave a reality check:

A top aide to Muqtada al-Sadr effectively dismissed reports of a deal to halt fighting in the city of Karbala, saying fighters loyal to the Shi'a cleric will end their armed presence in Al-Najaf and Karbala only after it is clear that U.S. troops have withdrawn from the Iraqi holy cities. …

A senior U.S. military official, Brigadier General Mark Kimmitt, today said no withdrawal was taking place in Karbala, although he confirmed that U.S. troops have repositioned some forces inside the embattled city.

Despite all the recent chaos in Iraq, the people there seem more and more willing to take matters into their own hands. Anyone who thought democracy would spring up overnight in Iraq was just plain delusional. Let’s not give up hope.