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| Iraq-Jordan |
| US Soldiers Fled When They Saw Portraits of Angry Muqtada al-Sadr |
| 2004-06-03 |
| From Khilafah .... An American bullet is still lodged in his hip, hobbling his movements. But when asked about his combat injury, the 35-year-old bearded fighter is much more keen to talk about his leader, the militant cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. "Our health depends only on the health of our leader," he declares. His eyes shining, he ascribes near-magical powers to the firebrand preacher who leads the rebel force known as the Mahdi Army. In the fighting in Najaf, the man says, he saw U.S. soldiers run away when they saw portraits of Mr. al-Sadr making an aggressive gesture. "They are scared of the pictures, and they are even more frightened of our weapons," he said. .... In many ways the Mahdi Army is like a cult, with a charismatic leader and devoted followers who are eager to die for him. At one of its offices in northern Baghdad, the walls are covered with portraits of the radical 31-year-old cleric and his revered father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, who was assassinated in 1999. "Muqtada al-Sadr is the first man of Iraq," says Sheik Rayid al-Khadimy, the head of the office. "He is the first to sacrifice himself for the needs of the people." .... Nearby is a photograph of a young man brandishing a Kalashnikov rifle in one hand and a portrait of Mr. al-Sadr in the other. Around his waist is a belt filled with explosives and hand grenades. His name is Alaa al-Sadry al-Harbawy. He is from this same northern Baghdad suburb, and, according to the Mahdi Army, he was killed in Najaf last week after destroying seven U.S. tanks in 12 days of fighting. .... But while the uprising has cost hundreds of lives, and severely depleted the Mahdi Army, it has succeeded in bolstering Mr. al-Sadr’s stature as a respected national figure. A few months ago, only about 1 per cent of Iraqis supported him. The latest opinion poll, conducted in late April by the Iraqi Centre for Research and Strategic Studies, found that 32 per cent of Iraqis strongly support him and 35 per cent somewhat support him. The same poll found that 82 per cent of Iraqis now have a better opinion of the cleric than they did three months ago. And only 5 per cent agreed with the U.S. viewpoint that Mr. al-Sadr should be arrested and tried on murder charges. .... |
| Posted by:Mike Sylwester |
| #15 damn barbara you beat me too it!I was thinking of the same comment. |
| Posted by: smokeysinse 2004-06-03 5:19:43 PM |
#14 In the fighting in Najaf, the man says, he saw U.S. soldiers run away when they saw portraits of Mr. al-Sadr making an aggressive gesture. "They are scared of the pictures, and they are even more frightened of our weapons," he said.Hahahahahahahahahahahaha! *snort* *giggle* *deep breath* Thanks, I needed a good laugh. :-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2004-06-03 5:06:42 PM |
| #13 And only 5 per cent agreed with the U.S. viewpoint that Mr. al-Sadr should be arrested and tried on murder charges. I agree - I'd rather he were shot in place. |
| Posted by: mojo 2004-06-03 2:31:03 PM |
| #12 They are scared of the pictures Well, you've got to admit - the guy isn't the most handsome stud around LOL. |
| Posted by: true true 2004-06-03 2:22:31 PM |
| #11 AnonyM - He's Shi'a - they love their placards and posters of holy doods and marching in parades... you're referring to Sunni Wahhabis and their graven images of human form (e.g. Barbie Doll) thingy, I believe... they just sorta mingle, like a cocktail party writ large, except when near the kaabah - in that case they suddenly run around in circles. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-03 11:34:46 AM |
| #10 Whatever happened to that BS about Islam allowing no human images. A cult bordering on deification would seem to be the height of Islamic hypocrisy. Somebody issue a fatwa... |
| Posted by: Anony-mouse 2004-06-03 11:24:45 AM |
| #9 a charismatic leader and devoted followers who are eager to die for him. I believe part of his charisma comes in 50 gallon black garbage bags full of real (demand the best) American money. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2004-06-03 10:51:13 AM |
| #8 "They are scared of the pictures, and they are even more frightened of our weapons." I am convinced! Bring the troops home now. I don't want them to have to look at that scary tater-head guy. I was listening to a radio show and a soldier just back fro Iraq said that they keep trying to engage the enemy but they run away too quickly. Mahdi must be Arabic for 'Those who retreat in the name of Allah'. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge (VRWC CA Chapter) 2004-06-03 10:17:10 AM |
| #7 the article says, "...In many ways the Mahdi Army is like a cult, with a charismatic leader and devoted followers who are eager to die for him. At one of its offices in northern Baghdad, the walls are covered with portraits of the radical 31-year-old cleric..." A cult it is. And when the cult leader is exposed, the cult dies. |
| Posted by: mhw 2004-06-03 9:40:31 AM |
| #6 The poll was prolly taken inside the Najaf super-extra-holy moskkk just before a firefight. Afterwards there were insufficient subjects for a valid survey. Pfeh. |
| Posted by: .com 2004-06-03 9:34:19 AM |
| #5 Nah, this is the very objective site Antisemite is always going on about. |
| Posted by: BMN 2004-06-03 9:31:54 AM |
| #4 LOL! It's more like Monty Python (run away, run away!) followers who are eager to die for him and we would like to help them any way we can. He is the first to sacrifice himself... NOT. Just another jerk who calls for others to die, not himself. |
| Posted by: Spot 2004-06-03 9:15:40 AM |
| #3 So is Khilafah like an arabic Scrappleface? Not quite. ScrappleFace is funny. |
| Posted by: Mike 2004-06-03 9:05:29 AM |
| #2 "Around his waist is a belt filled with explosives and hand grenades. His name is Alaa al-Sadry al-Harbawy. He is from this same northern Baghdad suburb, and, according to the Mahdi Army, he was killed in Najaf last week after destroying seven U.S. tanks..." Wonder if this is this the s***-for-brains who made a pink mist of himself on the front of a Bradley a few days ago? What a hero. What an example. Truly, what a good example to set his comrades-in-arms. |
| Posted by: Bulldog 2004-06-03 8:38:52 AM |
| #1 So is Khilafah like an arabic Scrappleface? |
| Posted by: AllahHateMe 2004-06-03 8:31:31 AM |