- Article Title : Iraq's firebrand Shiite cleric presents his political successor
- Author of article : Omar Sattar
- Click here to read about the article
- Date Published: 4 May 2017
- Summary:In a meeting with the ministers of defense and interior in Muqtada al-Sadr's Najaf office May 3, Sadr's nephew Ahmed al-Sadr stood directly behind his uncle in what was taken as the younger Sadr's introduction as the second-highest authority of the Sadrist movement after Muqtada al-Sadr himself.
- Thoughts/emotions/observations : I found it interesting that the current leader of the country wants a successor that he knows will drastically impact the government. I do agree that separation of church and state is always that best way to preserve civil liberties of citizens thus I am happy about this potential new leadership.
- Well-written paragraph describing how this article ties in to the political life of the country. How is the event / practice in the article important to politics in this country ?Leading the political committees means that Ahmed al-Sadr’s mission will be political and not religious. This separation will allow the movement’s political body to later become a political party under Iraqi law, which prohibits the formation of political parties on a religious or sectarian basis. Muqtada al-Sadr himself would become the movement’s guide or mentor, as he believes in the separation of religion and politics. This would lead to a more secular government in Iraq.