For these reasons, the ups and downs of Muqtada al-Sadr cause confusion

The Swiss newspaper, Lawton, addressed the positions of the Sadrist leader Muqtada al-Sadr and his controversial decisions regarding the popular anti-corruption protests that have persisted since the beginning of last October, and confirmed that the rupture between the chest and the demonstrators is evident.

What she described as the populist leader who provided support to the protest movement is today rejected by many, writer Helen Solon said in a report published by the Swiss newspaper Luton. Besides, the misunderstanding that has been raised, even among the Sadrist movement, has given way to violent rejection, after the attacks carried out by his supporters, known as blue hats.

Criticism of the demonstrators
The author indicated that the attempts of Al-Sadr supporters to control the sit-in by force led to the killing of eight demonstrators in Najaf on the fifth of this month. In the slogans and banners that were raised in Baghdad and the south of the country, the protesters made scathing criticism of Sadr.

She stressed that this division raises a kind of bitterness and relief at the same time among the demonstrators, who reject any political or religious guardianship of their protest movement.

In this context, Al-Sadr, who declared himself a supporter of reform between 2015 and 2016, is considered one of the main faces in the political system that they are calling for toppling. Since the 2018 legislative elections, in which the "Saeron" coalition appeared, Sadr, who leads this political coalition, has been the decisive voice in choosing the Prime Minister and ministries.

His support and the presence of thousands of his supporters in the sit-ins contributed to the consolidation of the protests, which the authorities responded to in a repressive manner that left at least 543 people dead.

Threatened with revenge
The writer stated that Al-Sadr’s decision to distance himself from the protests on January 24 and his support for Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi’s candidacy to form the government caused misunderstanding even among the Sadrist movement, which prompted many of his supporters, who numbered in the millions of slums in Baghdad and the south Iraq, to ​​leave the sit-in grudgingly.

In this context, the leader of the Sadrist movement, Asaad Al-Nasiri, declared his defection, saying, "Muqtada Al-Sadr has never supported this peaceful movement, he has always tried to use it to achieve political goals. The Sadrist movement has tried to control and direct the demonstrations, but it has found firm people in front of it."

The writer added that Al-Nasiri confirmed that he is surrounded by many of the Sadrist movement who reject Al-Sadr’s decision, like him. He says they "come to the sit-in secretly. They do not accept the position of al-Sadr, but they cannot say it publicly, for fear of reprisals and defamation campaigns."

The author reported that Sadrists supporters decided to continue the sit-in in Tahrir Square, central Baghdad, despite the decision of their leader. On January 31, Osama, a 27-year-old worker, said, "I did not come here on his orders, and I will not leave because he has ordered it. I have continued to fulfill the spirit of the martyrs and for the sake of Iraq."

On the same day, Sadr made a statement changing his orders not to break and continue the sit-in. To show Osama his joy after seeing Al-Sadr supporters return to the sit-in, saying, "Mr. Muqtada is our guardian and protector of our interests." The next day, when the "Blue Hats" group attacked their main gathering place in Tahrir Square, known as the Turkish Restaurant, and expelled the protesters stationed there, Osama packed his luggage and left as soon as morning fell.

blind love
The writer indicated that for many of his supporters, Sadr is a religious figure who is above the criticism. They believe that their leader is surpassed by experience and wisdom. In fact, this is the problem of the religious parties. Sheikh Al-Nasiri explained this by saying, "These are not democratic signs, they are authoritarian." A man close to Al-Sadr admitted that he "does not understand his options", but in the end, his followers and supporters believe that he is wrong, as he makes the appropriate decision.

An executive official in the Sadrist movement in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood confirmed that "if I ask any of his supporters to show him his spirit, he will not hesitate to do so, they love him blindly." Al-Sadr is gaining this position thanks to his main role in resisting the American occupation after 2003, as well as the efforts of his father, Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq Al-Sadr, who was opposed to the late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein. He was assassinated and two of Muqtada's brothers in 1999.

The writer stated that Muqtada al-Sadr intensifies his posts on Twitter and is sensitive to the criticism directed against him, so that his tone will be soft and sometimes threatening at other times, in an attempt to persuade the demonstrators to put an end to their demands and give an opportunity to Muhammad Tawfiq Allawi.

"The demonstrators have no representatives, and there are no clear demands regarding the government, the constitution, or the political system," Sadr official in the Sadrist movement, adding that Muqtada al-Sadr "did not order his supporters, in his tweets, to attack the sit-ins."

For his part, researcher Sajjad Jiyad of the Al-Bayan Center for Iraqi Planning and Studies said that "Al-Sadr does not attach great importance to the opinions of the Iraqis, what matters to him is the fact of preserving his mass base and the popular support that he enjoys. Grab his supporters from him. "