Iraqi Cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr Withdraws from Politics
In a formal statement, Sadr also criticized the move by prominent cleric Ayatollah Seyed Kazem Haeri to leave Marjaiyah (being a source of emulation), Middle East News reported.
He underlined that the holy city of Najaf will remain the main center of religious authority.
“I declare hereby that I will no longer be involved in politics and from now on fully withdraw from politics,” he stated.
Sadr also attacked his political opponents and said that had not listened to his calls for reform.
Earlier, Ayatollah Haeri announced his decision to quit Marjaiyah and indirectly criticized Sadr.
He slammed those who seek to foment discord among Shias and the Iraqi nation in the name of the martyrs of the Sadr family.
The developments come amid months of protests by his supporters backing his call for the dissolution of the Iraqi parliament.
Many of Sadr’s supporters have been participating in a sit-in outside the Iraqi parliament since the end of July, when they stormed the building and stopped Sadr’s rivals from appointing a new prime minister.
Reacting to their leader’s statement, many of those supporters at the sit-in reacted by attempting to bring down security barriers and converge on a rival sit-in.
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