Iraq’s Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr enjoys wide popularity among the Shiite poor, especially in the densely populated Sadr City near Baghdad.
He was one of the most prominent figures who played an essential role in rebuilding the political system after the fall of Saddam Hussein in 2003.
Sadr’s political life kickstarted with fierce battles with American forces at the time.
Despite rarely making an appearance, Sadr, 46, almost communicates daily with his followers via Twitter.
In October 2019, the cleric successfully mobilized thousands of Sadrists to support ongoing anti-government protests at the time.
But late January 2020, Sadr ordered his followers to exit the protests only to change his mind a week later and say they should go back to supporting the demonstrations.
Sadr had backed the rallies early on, even though they called for the downfall of a cabinet and PM he had sponsored, and for early elections that may cost him seats in parliament, where he controls the largest bloc.
Mind-boggling politicking is par for the course when it comes to Sadr, said Renad Mansour of the London-based Chatham House think-tank.
"He's a guy who has multiple sides: an anthropologist who goes with the street, making him inconsistent over the years," said Mansour.
But this inconsistency has effected the youth following Sadr as they have become no longer sure of what to do. Many had defied Sadr’s orders when he asked them to leave the anti-government demonstrations.
Hamza, 26, expressed deep regret towards seeing some of his fellow Sadrists packing their tents and leaving the protest sites.
This has threatened a rift within the ranks of Sadrists.
Ali, 29, a local from Sadr City, had spent the past four months in a tent in Tahrir Square, but he confirmed that he could not blindly follow Sadr's tweets.
A source in the Sadrist movement says that “the risk of a split is always present.”
“In the end, this is a religious movement, not a democratic movement,” the source said.
