Facts: Muqtada al-Sadr
Muqtada al-Sadr comes from a highly respected Iraqi Shia family. His father was the Grand Ayatollah and is suspected of having been killed by Saddam Hussein’s regime. Unlike many other Shiite leaders who went into exile during Saddam’s time, including to Iran, al-Sadr’s family remained in Iraq.
Muqtada al-Sadr was the leader of the dreaded Mahdimilis. In 2003, he led an insurgency against both the US forces and Sunni groups.
Muqtada al-Sadr is a nationalist and populist. His followers come from poor Shia areas such as the suburb of Sadr City, with around 2.5 million inhabitants.
Source: UI, Chatham House, SKL International
The storming of Sweden’s embassy in Iraq and the strong reactions from the country’s leaders have domestic political reasons, according to several observers that TT has spoken to.
— This (defiling the Koran) is an issue that arouses very upset feelings in many people, so it is an issue that politicians from different camps can use for their own purposes, says Aron Lund, analyst at the Total Defense Research Institute (FOI).
Iraq’s political landscape is very complicated with many different parties with different religious, ethnic and political orientations. There is a schism between the two dominant Shia Muslim blocs that dates back to dictator Saddam Hussein’s time in power. On one side is the powerful Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr, who is very popular among young and poor Iraqis. On the other side is an alliance of several pro-Iranian Shia parties and militias.
Populist Islamist
Muqtada al-Sadr has no formal power, his party, which received the most votes in the 2021 elections, withdrew from parliament and government because he could not agree with the other Shia parties.
When Sweden’s embassy was stormed on the night of Thursday, it happened after al-Sadr urged his supporters to protest. It was also his supporters who were behind the storming of the embassy in June.
“This is a perfect opportunity for him to show how much muscle he has, that he can mobilize people on the street,” says Lund.
According to Iraq expert Bitte Hammagren, Muqtada al-Sadr uses the Koran burning as leverage to lift himself up.
— It is an effective means for him to profile himself because his goal is to become the most powerful player in Iraqi politics, says Bitte Hammargren.
Smoke from the Swedish embassy in Baghdad after protesters stormed and set fire to the building on Thursday night. Forces the government to act
And by mobilizing thousands of people for protests, al-Sadr shows that he is the one who defends Islamic and Iraqi values.
— In this way, he forces the Iraqi government to act. Because it cannot be lenient towards what it perceives as a violation of Iraqi and Islamic values.
Aron Lund is also into the same thing:
— The government must show that it takes this seriously, that it is not just al-Sadr who is protesting. The effect is that you compete to be the hardest against Sweden.
According to Aron Lund, many countries in the Middle East have this form of internal tension, and the economic situation is difficult in several countries. Many leaders and groups struggle to maintain their popularity.
– The religious issues are popular and no one can question the initiative to show anger towards Sweden, says Lund.
Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr protest in front of the Swedish embassy on June 30.