NO, HE WILL NEVER BE REVERED for his commitment to peace, nor will he ever march to the sea to make salt. Equally true: some of his followers commit heinous crimes against humanity, and some say it is with his blessing. But while Washington fiddles over timetables and benchmarks, Moqtada al-Sadr may just be the one to end the American occupation through the most unexpected of means: passive resistance.
When the surge was first announced there was much speculation about Sadr's reaction. After all, his followers number in the millions and his Mahdi Army is ranked among the most powerful militias in Iraq (there are at least 23 in Baghdad alone, according to Anthony Cordesman). And he was target one for the surge itself:
...a military plan to "double down" in the country with a substantial buildup in American troops, an increase in industrial aid and a major combat offensive against Muqtada Sadr...
But Sadr's reaction so far?
Consider...
- When Maliki flew to Jordan to meet with Bush at the beginning of December, Sadr threatened to withdraw his slate from Maliki's cabinet and boycott the National Assembly. When Maliki sought and the U.N. granted a one-year extension on the mandate for U.S. troops, he did just that. A peaceful protest.
- When the Bush administration tried to maneuver the ousting of Maliki as a prelude to attacking Sadr, Sadr's reaction was to get Grand Ayatollah Sistani to quash the plan.
- As the surge was planned Sadr's reaction was to rein in his militia, sending its leaders to Iran and ordering the rest off the streets. And although news reports were widespread that Bush had okayed 'targeting' Sadr, there was no armed response. The military, thinking him cowed by superior forces, chalked it up to 'lying low'.
- As the surge got underway, Sadr's reaction was to declare a one-month period of 'no resistance':
"During Muharram, the Quran prohibits us from killing," the cleric told the Italian newspaper, referring to the Islamic lunar month marking the death of Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad. Muharram starts Friday for Sunnis and Saturday for Shiites.
"Let them kill us. For a true believer, there is no better moment than this to die: Heaven is ensured," he was quoted as saying. "After Muharram, we'll see."
"It is not us they want to destroy, but Islam. We are just an obstacle," said al-Sadr. "For the time being we will not put up resistance."
- As his aides were arrested by U.S. troops, Sadr's reaction was to call for protests, saying he would not fall into the trap of the U.S. provoking an armed confrontation.
- As his aides began to be killed in raids, Sadr's reaction was to call for protests and then go into hiding.
- When the U.S. wanted checkpoints in Sadr City, the agreement was negotiated.
But all that was apparently only Sadr's phase one. And since then he has begun a peaceful 'surge' of his own.
First, came the pronouncements...
Sadr: 'No security plan will work' as long as Iraq occupied
"I'm certain, just like all oppressed Iraqis are certain, that no security plan will work and no good will come of any occupier," al-Sadr said in the statement. "Here we are, watching booby trapped cars exploding to harvest thousands of innocent lives from our beloved people in the middle of a security plan that is controlled by an occupier who does as he pleases."
Sadr, in reported statement, renews demand for US forces to leave Iraq
"Raise your voices shouting 'No, no to America. No, no to Israel'...Use this great occasion to demand the occupier leaves our dear Iraq so that we could live in independence and stability."
Sadr urges supporters to resist U.S.
"The occupiers want to harm this beloved (Sadr City) and tarnish its name by spreading false rumors and allegations that negotiations and cooperation are ongoing between you and them. I am confident that you will not make concessions to them and will remain above them. Raise your voices in love and brotherhood and unity against your enemy and shout 'No, no America'."
And some protests...
Hundreds protest US station in Sadr City
BAGHDAD (AFP) - More than a thousand unarmed protesters demanded the removal of a US military base from east Baghdad's Sadr City on Friday, in the first sign of Shiite opposition to a new security plan.
But now Sadr's plan for passive resistance seems to be coming into full bloom. In a brilliant masterstroke at the end of March, he called on Iraqis to commemorate the April 9th fall of Baghdad by... waving flags:
Spokesman: Sadr calls for mass anti-American protests on April 9
"Four years on and Iraq is still without water, electricity, fuel, security, safety and, furthermore, it is in the middle of sedition... the occupier also isolated Iraq from the Arab and Muslim worlds, so much so that all foreign nations have ceased to care about an Iraq lying in ruin... I renew my call for the occupier to leave our land. The departure of the occupier will mean stability for Iraq, victory for Islam and peace and defeat for terrorism and infidels... You, oppressed people of Iraq, let the entire world hear your voice that you reject occupation, destruction and terrorism... Fly Iraqi flags atop homes, apartment buildings and government departments to show the sovereignty and independence of Iraq, and that you reject the presence of American flags and those of other nations occupying our beloved Iraq. Keep them there until they leave our land."
The next day flags began appearing all over Baghdad, Anbar and southern Iraq. And by the time of the protest...
And so now every Iraqi flag is a symbol of resistance -- one that can't be fought with brigades or weapons.
And just today, Sadr called for his followers to resist Petraeus walls and barriers by... painting them:
Report: Sadr calls for painting barriers to 'depict the ugliness and terrorist nature of the occupier'
BAGHDAD (AFP) - Shiite radical leader Moqtada al-Sadr urged Iraqis on Monday to paint the concrete barriers springing up around Baghdad with murals showing what he dubbed the "ugly face" of the US military in Iraq...
"I call on you to draw magnificent tableaux that depict the ugliness and terrorist nature of the occupier, and the sedition, car bombings, blood and the like he has brought upon Iraqis," he said, in a statement issued by his office.
"Paint the civilization of Iraq and the ugliness of the occupier. Paint the bright face of Iraq and the ugly face of the occupier," he continued.
"Draw with your pens and brushes your suffering caused by the occupier, leading to shortages of services and the theft of your rights. Long live those hands that depict the reality and injustice and the duty of the government."
And so, the radical, anti-American, firebrand (as he's continually labeled by the msm) seems determined to pursue victory by waging peace. Can a general strike be far behind?
Yes, Sadr himself is probably a despicable human being. But it's a gameplan of which the Mahatma himself might approve.
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This diary by Spread the Word: Iraq-Nam, a daily blog on Iraq.