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March 29th,
2008 - Al-Sadr: I Am in Control of Militia News article by the Associated Press Interview transcript by Middle East
Media Research Institute |
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Al-Sadr: I Am in Control of
Militia By Hamza Hendawi Associated Press March 29, 2008 Baghdad - A feisty Muqtada
al-Sadr, making his first public appearance since May, said in a TV interview
aired Saturday that he was in almost total control of the Mahdi Army and that
the "liberation" of Iraq was his militia's chief goal. The radical Shiite cleric
also said the impact of the U.S. presence on Iraq was more negative than that
of Saddam Hussein's Baath party, ousted in the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. Al-Sadr alleged that the
government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a fellow Shiite, was as
"distant" from the people of Iraq as Saddam's Sunni-led regime. The
government, he said, was "looking after its own interests, not those of
the people." Al-Sadr's interview with
Al-Jazeera, conducted in an undisclosed location, came as violence was on the
rise as part of a nationwide backlash by the Mahdi Army to the government's
attempt to crush Shiite militias and criminal gangs in the southern port of Basra. In the interview, the
34-year-old al-Sadr appeared to have lost a great deal of weight but none of
his hallmark confrontational style, frequently interrupting or correcting the
interviewer. Al-Sadr is widely thought to
be spending his time between Iran's holy city of Qom and Najaf, another holy
Shiite city south of Baghdad. But nothing in the room where the interview
took place offered a hint of his location. He and the interviewer, well
known Al-Jazeera reporter Ghassan Bin Jidou, sat on bamboo armed chairs with
a coffee table between them. Behind al-Sadr was a brown cabinet with several
volumes of Nahj al-Balagha, a work of philosophy by Imam Ali, the seventh
century cousin of the Prophet Muhammad and the founder of the Shiite faith. Al-Sadr said his withdrawal
from public view was motivated in part by his desire to focus on his studies
to become a mujtahid, or a religious authority. But he made clear that he
remained in charge of his political movement - his loyalists have 30 of
parliament's 275 seats - by personally overseeing the work of a ruling
committee. "Who among you doesn't
want me to be a mujtahid?" he said. "I have given the community
five years (of my life), now I want a few years to study." He warned against
interpreting his seclusion to be a sign of weakness and said the overwhelming
majority of the Mahdi Army was "under control." Those who broke
away from the militia, he added, "always came back to the fold and
repented." Differences between the
government and al-Sadr's supporters came to a head after hundreds of arrests
by U.S. and Iraqi forces of al-Sadr supporters that U.S. commanders say are
members of Iran-linked cells attacking American soldiers. In the interview, al-Sadr
said the militia's "strategic objective" was "the liberation
of Iraq from the occupier," meaning the Americans. He outlined the aims
of his political movement, saying he wants to rid Iraq of sectarian politics,
prevent its breakup and create an Islamic society. Mahdi Army commanders say
their militia has been taking delivery of arms and cash from Iran, but
al-Sadr sought to distance himself from the Iranians, saying he has recently
told Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khameini, that he did not approve
of the "political and military interests" that Tehran pursued in
Iraq. Copyright © 2008 The
Associated Press. External link: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jNhVbwmjixMs2NciVz_S_cCCgk2AD8VNBMO82 By the Middle East Media Research Institute March 31st, 2008 The following are excerpts
from an interview with Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of the Al-Mahdi Army in Iraq.
The interview aired on Al-Jazeera TV on March 29, 2008. Muqtada Al-Sadr: It's a
little difficult to combine studying with the direct leadership of society. I
can only move forward in one of these two directions. I have dedicated five
years to society, and now I want to dedicate a few years to my studies, so I
can be of more benefit to society. I am not secluding myself from society. I
am fulfilling my duties to the best of my ability. As has been said in the
communiqué, there is a committee that runs things, and I supervise it
directly. However, at this point in time, I want to progress in my knowledge
and faith. [...] It is the duty of the
Al-Sadr movement and the Iraqi people to strive to gradually liberate Iraq.
The liberation of Iraq does not mean only bearing arms. There is also
cultural liberation, social liberation, military liberation, and so on. The
assault against Islam is not only military. It is both cultural and military,
and it requires, at any given period, diversification of the resistance. But
the liberation of Iraq remains a national duty, and a primary goal of the
Al-Sadr movement. [...] It is true that Saddam was
occupying Iraq with his dictatorship and his reckless policies, which were
hundreds of miles removed from reason – policies that were, in fact, devoid
of any reason. However, the military intervention of the occupying forces of
all nationalities does not constitute liberation. The proof is that we did
not get rid of Saddam or the Ba'thists. They are still around and still have
a negative influence in Iraq. The second this is that the American influence
on the Iraqis is even more negative than that of the former Ba'th Party. The
Iraqi people still suffers as it did in the days of the Saddam – there are no
services, there is a lack of security, and we still suffer from all the
things we suffered from in the past. Therefore, this was occupation, not
liberation. I call it occupation. I have said in recent years: Gone is the
"little Satan," and in came the "Great Satan." Interviewer: After five
years of war, do you still believe that Iraq is occupied? Muqtada Al-Sadr: Bush used
to say that his picture would hang in all the Iraqi homes. No, sir. His
picture is now trampled underfoot by the Iraqis. Interviewer: But is Iraq
still occupied by the American forces? Muqtada Al-Sadr: Yes, it is,
and American popularity is dropping daily – why daily? It is dropping by the
minute. [...] Interviewer: Do you consider
acts of resistance to be legitimate when directed against these forces, which
you call "occupying forces"? Muqtada Al-Sadr: No one can
deny [the right] to conduct resistance. No human mind would deny it.
Resistance is the legitimate right of all peoples. Resistance automatically
appears wherever there is occupation. Allah willing, the U.S. will be
vanquished, just like it was in Vietnam. Interviewer: Do you support
any armed resistance against these forces, which you label
"occupiers"? Muqtada Al-Sadr: This is the
reasonable right... Interviewer: Do you support
it? Do you support armed resistance against the forces you call
"occupiers"? Muqtada Al-Sadr: Against the
occupiers – yes, but not against others. Interviewer: Since you claim
that Iraq is now occupied, and that the occupiers are the Americans, do you
support conducting acts of armed resistance, in order to liberate Iraq from
the occupying American forces, as you call them? Muqtada Al-Sadr: On
condition that these acts do not harm the Iraqi people. Interviewer: I will get to
that. We will talk later about your general political position. Do you openly
support these acts? Muqtada Al-Sadr: Yes, I do. Interviewer: What do you
mean when you say "on condition that they do not harm the Iraqi
people"? Muqtada Al-Sadr: For
example, that the battles should not be waged within the city. This is just
one example of how to avoid harming the Iraqi people. The targets should be
hit accurately, so that others will not be harmed. The people who conduct
resistance know these things better than me. [...] Interviewer: What we abroad
understood was that you disbanded the Al-Mahdi Army, because you had lost
control over it. Muqtada Al-Sadr: The
Al-Mahdi Army is under control, or at least most of it. They are obedient,
loyal, and faithful. They are even capable of gradually liberating Iraq,
Allah willing, along with some other resistance forces. [...] This will be the army of the
Reformer [the Mahdi], Allah willing. At the end of time, the Mahdi will
appear, and if by that time, we are still around, and if we are capable
mentally, physically, militarily, and in terms of faith, we will all be his
soldiers, Allah willing. Hence, the Al-Mahdi Army is a matter of faith, and
it cannot be disbanded. [...] Interviewer: What is the
strategic goal of the Al-Mahdi Army? Muqtada Al-Sadr: At present,
it is to liberate Iraq, and to defend the Iraqi people in times of crisis,
and at the moment Iraq is in a crisis – it is occupied – and should be
liberated. Interviewer: So you state
clearly that the goal of the Al-Mahdi Army is... Muqtada Al-Sadr: To defend
Iraq. I never have and never will deny this. Interviewer: So you continue
with this? Muqtada Al-Sadr: Of course,
and if I’m not around – if I am killed, if I die, retire, or whatever – the
goal of the Al-Mahdi Army will remain the liberation of Iraq. Interviewer: Let me say that
this comment might sound peculiar to many... Muqtada Al-Sadr: It will
sound peculiar only to the Americans. Interviewer: The general
belief abroad is that you are retiring... Muqtada Al-Sadr: These are
merely tactics... Allah willing, these tactics will not weaken our resolve to
liberate Iraq. [...] There are plans to divide
Iraq – to divide what has already been divided, if I may say so. The Al-Sadr
movement must oppose this, and strive to maintain the unity of the Iraqi land
and people under any circumstances. Another important goal is to make society
religious, rather than secular. People keep talking about an “Islamic
government” and so on. What is more important is to make society, not just
the government, Islamic. An Islamic government without an Islamic society
cannot... Interviewer: You mentioned
your opposition to the division of Iraq. What exactly did you mean? Did you
mean the partitioning of Iraq into independent countries, or do you consider
federalism and decentralization to be part of this division? People talk
about a district in the south, another in the north, the center, the west...
What do you mean? Muqtada Al-Sadr: If
federalism does not entail the division of Iraq, it is fine. The important
thing is that the occupation is an obstacle to federalism. There can be no
federalism as long as there is occupation. As long as there is occupation in
Iraq, federalism will constitute the partitioning of the country, even if it
is centralized. Interviewer: You say this
unequivocally? Muqtada Al-Sadr: Yes. If
there was no occupation, my answer would be different. Then there would be
room for discussion. [...] Interviewer: Do you fear
there will be more sectarian violence in Iraq in the near future? I am not
talking about the resistance, but about internal violence. Muqtada Al-Sadr: Sectarian violence? It’s possible, because the
Americans are in Iraq, and they are constantly touching on this sensitive
spot – Shiites against Sunnis, Kurds against Arabs... They are always... I
have seen this on TV or somewhere... The Americans are responsible even for
the car bombs. [...] The Al-Sadr movement is
Islamic even more than it is Iraqi. An attack against any Islamic country or
people will mean that the Al-Sadr movement will become an interested party. Interviewer: In what way? Muqtada Al-Sadr: It will
defend Islam however necessary. It will do whatever it can at the time. If
any Islamic or Arab country is attacked, the Al-Sadr movement will be an
interested party. [...] Obviously, I am close to the
Shiites ideologically, but politically, I am close to the Sunnis and the
decisions they make. Many of the decisions of the Al-Sadr movement correspond
to those of the Sunnis. [...] Interviewer: How do you view
Iran’s role in Iraq, and what are your relations with the Iranian leadership? Muqtada Al-Sadr: First of
all, I don’t do anything in secret. It is all out in the open. I try to
maintain good relations with everybody. With regard to the Iranians and the
Iranian Republic ... In a previous meeting with Khamenei, during a pilgrimage,
I told him that we share the same ideology, but that politically and
militarily, I would not be an extension of Iran, and that there were negative
things that Iran was doing in Iraq. I mentioned to him a few things that Iran
needs to rectify with regard to Iraq. Iran committed mistakes that it should
not have made. External link: http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1726.htm |