A Radical Cleric Gets Religion
It wasn't so long ago that U.S. commanders considered Moqtada al-Sadr to be the greatest threat to stability in Iraq. Now the Shiite firebrand's stock among the Americans may be rising. Since declaring a ceasefire for his Mahdi Army militia last August, Sadr has effectively disappeared from public life, designating five trusted aides to speak on his behalf. NEWSWEEK has learned that some of those deputies have been secretly meeting with Gen. David Petraeus, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, to discuss cooperation on improving security, according to two sources who declined to be identified because of the subject's sensitivity. The general's spokesman, Col. Steven Boylan, qualified that assertion, explaining that while Petraeus has not met with Sadr, "the command has indeed had direct engagements with some of his people within the [Sadr] organization … to assist with reconciliation efforts." Boylan also says the military "applauded" Sadr's ceasefire.
U.S. commanders say that the Mahdi Army's quiescence is a significant factor behind the recent drop in attacks in Baghdad—by a third compared with six months ago, according to one estimate. And they say they now share a common enemy: rogue Mahdi Army units, known as "special groups" and allegedly funded by Iran, who have declared they will not obey the ceasefire. Sadr loyalists have formed an elite unit called the "golden battalion" to go after these rebels; the Americans are hoping to encourage the more moderate leaders to distance the Mahdi Army even further from its "irreconcilable" wing. "Those elements, such as the special-group, extremist elements, have in fact dishonored Sadr's pledge of honor," says Boylan.
While U.S. forces have brokered local agreements between Sunni sheiks and Mahdi Army commanders in Baghdad, Sadr himself is staying above the fray. (A Sadr deputy, Sheik Salah al-Ubaidy, denies that any Sadrist officials have met with the Americans.) U.S. commanders think the 36-year-old cleric has temporarily relocated to Iran. But a source in the Shiite holy city of Najaf who also asked to remain anonymous says Sadr's gone underground there. He claims that Sadr is cracking the books, hoping to elevate himself to the level of hojat ol Islam—one step below ayatollah. Some in the Shiite howza, the clerical elite that surrounds Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, scoff at the attempt. "His mentality does not allow him to reach higher levels of study," says one high-ranking howza scholar. But Sadr's instructors are thought to be followers of his assassinated father, Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, and they might be inclined toward grade inflation. In any event, U.S. commanders are just glad most of Sadr's gunmen are laying as low as Sadr is.
with John Barry in Washington, Maziar Bahari in Tehran and Baghdad Bureau reports
© 2007
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Member Comments
Posted By: __________ @ 12/30/2007 6:34:36 PM
Comment: All religions are tools of the wise to control the masses; if you neglect Christianity in this assessment, you are just as great an idiot of those you condemn for their opinions. History is a giant chalkboard full of trial and error, yet humanity is too stupid to learn and comprehend its lessons before blindly stepping out to the battlefield. We are molded to allow the same mistakes to happen as our ancestors did before us, and theirs before them.
Christianity has no jihad? Open your eyes. After the dawn of Christianity, a relatively new religion in the scheme of world history, the Roman Catholic Church initiated the Crusades, but only after Christianity outperformed Paganism. The Crusades gave the Roman Catholic church the power it needed to control the known world, while at the same time vastly improving its wealth amongst the royalties of the old world. The problem throughout the world, then as today, is that power corrupts. Men make the mistakes that pull us away from our gods. If you look at any of the historical accounts of our saviors -- Yeshua (or Jesus of Nazareth, as the Greeks translate), John the Baptist, Mohammed and others -- would you think any single one of them would be proud of our "accomplishments" in their name? The simple answer is no. As Mahatma Gandhi once stated: "I like your Christ. I dislike your Christians; they are so unlike your Christ." This holds true for all warring religions today. To instigate a holy war in the name of their savior goes against the ideologies of those very saviors. I've read the Book of John, but before you are short to respond, understand how the "Word of God" that you know as the Holy Bible has been translated and modified to suit the religion's needs of the time. If you feel that the St. James Version of the Bible is the exact word of God as passed down through the ages, you are just as victim of religious propaganda as an Islamic extremist capable of strapping a bomb to himself and blowing up a group of civilians in the name of God.
Now, I'm not bashing religion in general; there are far more positive attributes to religion and faith than negative ones, but regardless of who one's personal Messiah is, follow the lives and actions of their saviors, and don't fight one another because of it. This bigotry allows the shadows of the world to remain anonymous while the sheep of the world fight their wars for them.
Also, to the individual who stated that Christianity began at the death of Jesus? Where are you pulling that information from? Christianity began as a cult in the Cappadicoa Caves when St. Paul the Apostle instilled Jesus??? teachings to those without faith. It wasn???t until Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire.
If you want to know the word of God, then go back and learn the languages of the Babylonians and the Sumerians, as all popular religions today derived from their stories and texts.
Posted By: blackhalk101 @ 12/03/2007 10:15:51 PM
Comment: Is Shankardada referring to Protestant or Catholic Christianity? Was it not the Roman Catholic Church that lead both the Inquisition and the Crusades? Not that I have anything against modern day Catholics, as I am personally acquainted with many, but I want to make it clear that it was not the doing of the Protestants. Also, contrary to popular belief, Constantine did not originate Christianity. It was, in actuality began at the death of Crist. I agree with Adsadso.
Posted By: blackhalk101 @ 12/03/2007 9:59:43 PM
Comment: Are you referring to Protestant or Catholic Christianity? The Inquisition and Crusades were lead by the Roman Catholic Church, which was originated by the Roman emperor Constantine. Contrary to popular belief, Constantine did not start Christianity. True Christianity began at the death of Jesus.