#Moqtada

[andrewtheprophet]

Who Is The Antichrist? (Revelation 13)

Who Is The Antichrist? (Revelation 13)

Profile: Moqtada Sadr Moqtada al-Sadr the AntichristMoqtada Sadr has been a powerful figure in Iraq since the fall of Saddam Hussein. Although the situation has changed in the country since the radical Shia cleric went into self-imposed exile in Iran in 2007, he appears to have has lost none of his influence and has maintained his wide support among many of Iraq’s impoverished Shia Muslims. At…

[sauolasa]

Moqtada al Sadr chiede ai rivoltosi di abbandonare la Zona Verde

Guerriglia urbana a Baghdad mentre il leader sciita iracheno Moqtada al Sadr ha intimato ai suoi seguaci armati di ritirarsi entro un'ora dalle strade dentro e attorno alla Zona Verde

[phoenixx-news]

Iraq’s Moqtada Sadr gives followers one hour to end protests

BAGHDAD: Powerful Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on his loyalists in the government zone to withdraw after nearly 24 hours of fierce clashes with security forces and paramilitary groups.

In a televised speech Tuesday, al-Sadr gave his supporters, hundreds of whom stormed the government palace and have been holding an ongoing sit-in outside the parliament building, an hour to leave.

Those backing influential cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr fired into the Green Zone, where it appeared Iraqi security forces were firing back at them. Live television footage showed the chaos, with at least one wounded man being taken away in a three-wheel rickshaw, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry visible behind them.

The death toll continued to rise on Tuesday after the unrest erupted the previous day, according to two medical officials. Neighboring Iran closed its land borders to the country.

Iraq’s military said four rockets were launched into the heavily fortified Green Zone. Outside of sporadic unrest in southern Iraq, the rest of the country appeared unaffected for the time being by the violence as oil continued to be pumped in the country.

Al-Sadr’s sudden resignation has catapulted Iraq into violence and chaos with no clear path out. The cleric derives power from his ability to mobilize and control his large grassroots following, but with his stated exit from politics, he has implicitly given them the freedom to act as they see fit.

To avenge the killing of unarmed loyalists, Al-Sadr’s militia Saraya Salam clashed with Iraqi security forces in the Green Zone using an array of weapons, including mortars and rocket-propelled grenades, two security officials said. The militia also took over some headquarters belonging to rival Iran-backed militia groups in the southern provinces overnight.

Iranian state television cited “unrests” and “curfew” in Iraqi cities for the reason for the border closures. It urged Iranians avoid any travel to Iraq while urging Iran’s Shiite pilgrims in Iraq to avoid further travel between cities.

Iraq’s government has been deadlocked since Al-Sadr’s party won the largest share of seats in October parliamentary elections but not enough to secure a majority government. His refusal to negotiate with his Iran-backed Shiite rivals and subsequent exit from the talks has catapulted the country into political uncertainty and volatility amid intensifying intra-Shiite wrangling.

To further his political interests, Al-Sadr has wrapped his rhetoric with a nationalist and reform agenda that resonates powerfully among his broad grassroots base of supporters. They are calling for the dissolution of parliament and early elections without the participation of Iran-backed Shiite groups, which they see as responsible for the status quo.

The decision came as millions of Iranians were preparing to visit Iraq for annual pilgrimage to Shiite sites.

Kuwait meanwhile has urged its citizens in neighboring Iraq to leave the country. The state-run KUNA news agency also encouraged those hoping to travel to Iraq to delay their plans over the eruption of violent street clashes between rival Shiite groups in the country.

The tiny Gulf Arab sheikhdom of Kuwait shares a 254 kilometer (158 mile)-long border with Iraq.

The Netherlands has evacuated its embassy in the Green Zone, Foreign Affairs Minister Wopke Hoekstra tweeted early Tuesday.

“There are firefights around the embassy in Baghdad. Our staff are now working at the German embassy elsewhere in the city,” Hoekstra wrote.

Dubai’s long-haul carrier Emirates stopped flights to Baghdad on Tuesday over the ongoing unrest in Iraq. The carrier said that it was “monitoring the situation closely.”

It did not say whether flights would resume for Wednesday.

Protesters loyal to cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr, who resigned Monday, pulled down the cement barriers outside the government palace with ropes and breached the palace gates. Many rushed into the lavish salons and marbled halls of the palace, a key meeting place for Iraqi heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

Read More : https://www.arabnews.com/node/2152901/middle-east

[sgtgrunt0331-3]

During the Battle of Najaf, U.S. Marine James Hassell, risked his life to carry his wounded buddy, Ryan Borgstrom, 60 yards through open gunfire. When the photographer captured the moment, Hassell simply said, "We're Marines. That's what we do." The Marines of Charlie Company 1st Battalion 4th Marine Regiment carried out a raid on the Najaf residence of Moqtada al-Sadr during the Battle of Najaf on August 12, 2004.

(Photo by: Lucian Read)

[zvaigzdelasas]

16 Apr 23

[guerillas-of-history]

IRAQ. Karbala governorate. Karbala. May 16, 2004. Fighters from the Mahdi Army, followers of the Shia cleric Moqtada Sadr, take up positions around the shrine of Imam Hussein in the centre of Karbala as they fight against US troops trying to dislodge them from the city. Here, a fighter with a picture of Moqtada Sadr on his chest holds a machine gun while another fighter prays in the background.

Photograph: Michael Kamber for The New York Times

[divinum-pacis]

July 2023: Baghdad, Iraq A supporter of Shia cleric Moqtada al-Sadr holds a copy of the Qur’an as he and others gather for a protest outside the Swedish embassy.

Photograph: Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images

[beardedmrbean]

Eight supporters of Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr were killed and 85 others wounded Monday after clashes broke out in Baghdad's fortified Green Zone, medics told AFP.

The announcement raises an earlier toll of two Sadr supporters killed and 22 others wounded in the clashes with supporters of a rival faction. The army announced a nationwide curfew from 7:00 pm (1600 GMT).

Shots were fired in the fortified area which houses government buildings as well as diplomatic missions, an AFP correspondent said, as tensions soared amid an escalating political crisis that has left Iraq without a new government, prime minister or president for months.

Witnesses said Sadr loyalists and supporters of a rival Shiite bloc, the pro-Iran Coordination Framework, were exchanging fire.

Security forces also fired tear gas to disperse the Sadrists at the entrance to the Green Zone, a security source told AFP.

Calling the developments "an extremely dangerous escalation", the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI) urged "protesters to immediately leave" the area.

It urged "all" to "refrain from acts that could lead to an unstoppable chain of events". 

"The very survival of the state is at stake," it said.  

'Definitive retirement'

Iraq has been mired in political deadlock since legislative elections in October last year, due to disagreement between Shiite factions over forming a coalition.

Shortly after he made his surprise declaration, Sadr's followers entered the Republican Palace, where cabinet meetings are usually held.

Inside the opulent palace, protesters lounged in armchairs in a meeting room, as some waved Iraqi flags and took photographs of themselves, while others cooled off in a swimming pool in the garden, an AFP photographer said.

Sadr — a grey-bearded preacher with millions of devoted followers, who once led a militia against American and Iraqi government forces — announced earlier on Monday on Twitter he was stepping back from politics.

"I've decided not to meddle in political affairs. I therefore announce now my definitive retirement," said Sadr, a longtime player in the war-torn country's political scene, though he himself has never directly been in government.

He added that "all the institutions" linked to his Sadrist movement will be closed, except the mausoleum of his father, assassinated in 1999, and other heritage facilities.

His latest statement came two days after he said "all parties" including his own should give up government positions in order to help resolve the months-long political crisis.

His bloc emerged from last year's election as the biggest, with 73 seats, but short of a majority. In June, his lawmakers quit in a bid to break the logjam, which led to the Coordination Framework becoming the largest bloc in the legislature. 

Since then, Sadr has engaged in other pressure tactics, including a mass prayer by tens of thousands of his followers on August 5.

Hamzeh Hadad, from the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), said it was "not clear" what Sadr's strategy was.

"Whatever it does mean, in typical Sadrist fashion, there is always backtracking expected," Hadad said.

"The second, and more terrifying thought on this is that he is giving his followers the green light to do whatever they like, and he will say he is no longer responsible for them."

Millions of followers

Sadr's supporters have been calling for parliament to be dissolved and for new elections, but on Saturday the cleric said it was "more important" that "all parties and figures who have been part of the political process" since the 2003 US-led invasion "no longer participate".

"That includes the Sadrist movement," he said, adding that he was willing to sign an agreement to that effect "within 72 hours".

Over the years, the chameleon-like Sadr has taken various positions and then reversed them.

Sadr's supporters have for weeks been staging a sit-in outside Iraq's parliament, after storming the legislature's interior on July 30, to press their demands.

They were angered after the Coordination Framework nominated a candidate they saw as unacceptable for prime minister.

The Framework wants a new head of government to be appointed before any new polls are held.

Caretaker Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi earlier this month convened crisis talks with party leaders, but the Sadrists boycotted.

Many Iraqis say the political infighting has nothing to do with their day-to-day struggles.

Iraq has been ravaged by decades of conflict and endemic corruption. 

Oil-rich but blighted by ailing infrastructure, unemployment, power cuts and crumbling public services, Iraq now also faces water shortages as drought ravages swathes of the country.

[andrewtheprophet]

Who is the Antichrist, the Religious Cleric Who Won Iraq's Election Recount?

Who is Muqtada Al-Sadr, the Religious Cleric Who Won Iraq’s Election Recount?The popular figurehead stormed the election back in May on a fiercely anti-corruption platform, while pledging to rid Iraq of unwanted foreign – particularly US – interference.The manual recount of votes cast in Iraq’s election held in May is now complete, with Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s alliance holding on to all…

[head-post]

Iraq heads to provincial elections, first in a decade

Iraq holds its first provincial council elections in a decade on Monday. The ruling Shi’ite Muslim alliance is likely to extend its hold on power amid a boycott by populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, its main political rival.

The election lays the groundwork for parliamentary elections in 2025 that will determine the balance of power in a country where groups with close ties to Iran have gained ground in politics and the economy in recent years.

The vote also acts as a test of the new Iraqi democracy installed by the US after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003.

Voter apathy is growing among a predominantly young population that believes it sees no benefit from Iraq’s vast oil wealth, much of which is misdirected or plundered in a country that ranks among the world’s most corrupt.

Just over 16 million Iraqis registered to vote on Monday, but that’s down from the 2021 parliamentary elections, when 22 million people were eligible to vote, according to authorities. Turnout then was 41 per cent of those eligible to vote.

Read more HERE

[sutrala]

“No to the occupation! No to America!” chanted demonstrators gathered in central Baghdad after Shiite leader Moqtada Sadr called for a protest “in support of Gaza” and against Israel, an AFP journalist reported. “This rally is aimed at condemning...

[jogallice]

Annecy Journée : samedi 22 juillet 2023.

See on Scoop.it - JamesO

Aujourd’hui, samedi 22/07/23, une journée sans Journée qui va ravir celles et ceux qui ne les aiment pas, qu’elles soient locales, territoriales, nationales, européennes, internationales ou mondiales 😎

  L'ambassade de Suède à Bagdad (Irak) a été incendiée avant-hier lors d'une manifestation organisée par des partisans du leader religieux Moqtada Sadr. Ce rassemblement visait à dénoncer un évènement prévu le même jour à Stockholm, lors duquel un exemplaire du Coran devait être brûlé par un activiste irakien, déjà dénoncé pour un autodafé.  L'ambassadrice suédoise va être expulsée du pays 😱

  À Marseille, les quatre policiers de la Brigade Anti-Criminalité (BAC) présentés avant-hier à un juge d'instruction ont été mis en examen. L'un d'entre eux est placé en détention provisoire, les trois autres sont sous contrôle judiciaire avec interdiction d'exercer, précise une source proche du dossier 👩‍⚖️

  Après un départ en 2018, le retour d'Israël au sein de l'UNESCO est envisagé. Israël « évoque » son potentiel retour au sein de l'organisation qu'il avait quittée en 2017-2018, en même temps que les États-Unis, qui y sont récemment revenus, a-t-on appris avant-hier auprès d'une source diplomatique au sein de l'institution onusienne 🧐

  Bon sixième jour de la semaine à toutes et à tous 🌠

  📷 JamesO PhotO à Annecy le mercredi 19/07/23 📸

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[sgtgrunt0331-3]

U.S. Marines from 1st Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, carry out a raid on a police station in Kufa, believed to be held by fighters from the Moqtada al-Sadr-led Mehdi Army, during the Battle of Najaf on August 20, 2004.

(Photo by: Lucian Read)

[zvaigzdelasas]

Iraqi security forces dispersed hundreds of demonstrators who stormed the main gates of the Swedish embassy in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad[...]

Videos posted on social media showed a large number of protesters inside the Swedish embassy’s perimeter as well as black smoke and fire coming from the building.[...]

Prominent Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr, whose supporters were behind the protests at the Swedish embassy, said that “Sweden’s hostility towards Islam and the holy books by giving permission to burn the Iraqi flag means Sweden doesn’t believe in Iraq. “It’s on the government to not just express condemnation and denunciation as that shows weakness and complacency,” Sadr said.[...]

Iraq later recalled its chargé d’affaires from the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, and asked the Swedish ambassador in Baghdad to leave the country, an Iraqi government spokesperson said Thursday.[...]

Iraq suspended Swedish telecom giant Ericsson’s license in the country in response to the demonstration in Stockholm.

20 Jul 23

[oceansoulmatesblog]

Iraq expels Swedish ambassador as man desecrates Koran in Sweden

AP, Thursday 20 Jul 2023 Iraq’s prime minister ordered the expulsion of the Swedish ambassador from Iraq and the withdrawal of the Iraqi charge d’affaires from Sweden on Thursday as a man desecrated of a copy of the Koran in Stockholm. Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr raise his portrait as they gather for a protest outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20, 2023.…

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] Supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr gather for a protest outside the Swedish embassy in Baghdad on July 20, 2023. AFP/FileIraq has expelled the Swedish ambassador following a series of protests sparked by the desecration of the Quran in Stockholm on Thursday. The tensions between the two nations escalated after a man, identified as Salwan Momika, not only burnt pages of Islam's holy book in Sweden but also stomped on it outside the Iraqi embassy. The recent incident led to a chaotic pre-dawn attack on Sweden's Baghdad embassy by hundreds of outraged Iraqis. The situation intensified when the Iraqi government condemned the attack and retaliated by expelling Sweden's ambassador. Furthermore, Iraq vowed to cut ties with Sweden and suspended the operating license of the Swedish telecom giant Ericsson.Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani expressed his displeasure, saying, "The decision was prompted by the Swedish government's repeated permission for the burning of the Holy Quran, insulting Islamic sanctities, and the burning of the Iraqi flag." The burning of religious symbols and books in Sweden by far-right and other activists citing free speech protections has sparked protests in European countries in the past.The situation resulted in a night of chaos at the Swedish embassy in Baghdad. Protesters, mainly followers of influential Shiite Muslim cleric Moqtada Sadr, stormed the embassy, clashed with riot police, and set buildings ablaze. Amid the unrest, Iraq's government took around 20 protesters into custody.Sweden's Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom strongly condemned the attack on the embassy, describing it as "completely unacceptable." He emphasised that under the Vienna Convention, Iraqi authorities had an obligation to protect diplomatic missions and personnel.Countries such as Iran, Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia have joined the chorus of condemnation against Sweden for allowing the Quran burning protests to proceed. Additionally, the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union expressed their concern, deeming it unacceptable that Iraqi security forces did not prevent the attack on the Swedish embassy in Baghdad.The Quran burning controversy has garnered attention from Muslim-majority countries and even Pope Francis, who condemned the actions of Salwan Momika. The incident has also put the spotlight on Sweden's freedom of speech laws, as the courts overruled the initial rejection of applications to burn the Quran.The situation remains tense as Iraq asserts its stance on the matter, and the international community watches closely for further developments between Iraq and Sweden. [ad_2]