NAJAF, Iraq — Muqtada al-Sadr lambasted the American "enemy" in Iraq during his first speech in the country since returning from exile, fiery rhetoric from a new powerbroker in the government that will make it difficult to extend the U.S. military deployment beyond the end of this year.
The young Shiite cleric once blamed for some of the country's worst sectarian violence also told his followers that such bloodshed would no longer be tolerated and appealed to them to show unity in the face of the country's many problems.
The 35-minute speech Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Najaf was a public debut for the young cleric after nearly four years in voluntary exile in neighboring Iran, and it seemed at times like a combination of a rock concert and religious sermon. After walking out to a podium draped in black cloth, al-Sadr had to wait almost a full five minutes for the rapturous crowd of around 20,000 people to quiet down enough for him to speak.
Some of the young men packed into the street outside the cleric's family home in Najaf slept on the ground with only cardboard slabs to protect them from the cold concrete. It gave them a prime seat to see their idol, and much of the crowd was openly weeping when al-Sadr took the stage. The young men pressed up against the concrete barriers and security guards, and after the cleric left, hundreds of supporters lingered by the podium, as though hoping for an encore performance.
Those in Najaf and thousands of Iraqis across the nation watching on TV saw a performance focused on the issue that has been the cornerstone of the cleric's ideology and popularity: resistance to any American presence in Iraq.
"We are still resisters, and we are still resisting the occupier militarily and culturally and by all the means of resistance. Repeat after me: No, no for the occupier. Let's have all the world hear that Iraqi people reject the occupier," he shouted. The crowd thundered along with him, pumping their fists in the air.
Unlike many Iraqi politicians who lived in exile while Saddam Hussein was in power, al-Sadr remained in Iraq — a fact that has earned him much of his popularity. Just a few hundred yards (meters) from where he spoke Saturday stands a small memorial marking the spot where the cleric's father and two brothers were gunned down, allegedly by Saddam's agents.
After the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, al-Sadr quickly became one of the most vocal people rallying against the Americans. His Mahdi Army militia, armed with AK-47s and a deep devotion to its leader, battled U.S. forces through the streets of Najaf in 2004, when other Shiite leaders were cooperating with the Americans.
In 2006 and 2007, when sectarian bloodshed was at its height, his militia members were accused of some of the most vicious attacks against Sunnis, including torture with drills and electrocution.
But aiming now to become a mature political movement, al-Sadr in his speech sought to put the group's brutal reputation behind it.
"My dear, if any conflict happened between the brothers, let's forget this page and turn it over forever and let's live united," he said. "We have had enough fighting."
Al-Sadr left for Iran in 2007, in part to bolster his theological credentials — a necessity for a religious leader in this Shiite-dominated country — but also to escape an arrest warrant for allegedly killing another cleric. While he studied and deepened his ties to Iran, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki sent in the army to crush al-Sadr's militias in Basra and eastern Baghdad.
After the bruising defeat, al-Sadr's influence appeared to have exhausted itself.
