The Sadrists are a grassroots movement that existed under Saddam’s regime. Saddam’s regime oppressed them, persecuted them, and killed many of them. I believe that they existed in the mid 50s.
To the regime, they were rivals and trouble makers who held a diffident religious background. Thus, they should be eliminated it. However, as Abu Ali once told me in 1999 “even if Saddam killed hundreds of us, he cannot kill us all. We are millions.” Many Sadrists demonstrated the killing of Mohammed Mohammed Al Sadr, their religious leader who was killed by Saddam’s regime in 1999. Demonstrating for any other reason than supporting regime was an act of suicide. The regime killed all the demonstrators and arrested their families. Entrances and exits to Sadr City were closed for three days.
The Sadrists were well organized and structured, another reason they were attacked by Saddam’s regime. Any sort of organization which was not governmental was not allowed under Saddam’s regime. Moreover, their organizational skills in particular were intimidating , because they did not believe in the Baath party’s ideology, rather they have their own ideology.
Additionally, and as a form of punishment, the regime also deprived the entire city from basic environmental services including: safe drinking water, electricity supply, trash pick-up, and sanitation services.
Environmental services are the key to understand the security dynamics in Iraq and the Middle East.
Depriving three million people from water and electricity when temperatures are 90 degrees Fahrenheit or more, was more than punishment, it was an attempt to kill those people. However, their organization helped them survive.
They shared their limited fanatical resources to buy small generators and installed in public places such as mosques, where people can gather from fresh air. However, their survival was rooted with a deep feeling of anger and a strong desire for revenge.
Although they were organized back then, no-one called them the Sadrists, though they acquired many titles such as
The poor, the illiterate, the peasants, or the working class which reflected their poor and uneducated background and status. They recently have acquired this title, the Sadrists. However, they existed as an organization long before they emerged in June 2003 as one of the strongest and the most organized insurgency groups in Iraq. The fact that they emerged as a major political power in two months after the fall of Saddam’s regime is key evidence of their pre-existence.
What is the first thing they did after emerging as a major political power?
They took over the electrical substation that supplied electricity to the City. In August of 2004, right after their battle in Najaf, Moqtada Al Sadr, the son of their late religious leader Mohammed Mohammed Al Sadr, with an element from Al Mahdy Army, took over and controlled all of the substations that supplied electricity to Sadr City. In doing this, they supplied the City with uninterrupted electricity for the first time in 35 years
As part of their organizational structure, they have a unit that collects information and survey communities. Being a grassroots movement gives them an advantage over any security apparatus. They move quickly and easily since they know their city and any other cities within Baghdad, as they describe themselves as the working class of Baghdad. If they were to all decided not to work for one day, Baghdad would be dysfunctional.
“Well, if Saddam oppressed them and the U.S. toppled Saddam’s regime, then why they are standing against the U.S.” A question I always get asked here in the U.S.
This question can be answered politically by simply saying the Sadrists are supported by Iran and Iran is our overarching enemy. Thus, they are fighting the U.S. soldiers on behalf of Iran. However, there is one point of weakness in this analysis. Why do the Sadrists accept to die on behalf of Iran? Standing against one of the best trained armies in the world is not an easy task, that people are willing to do just because they are being paid to do it. I will never forget when I was in the car with some relatives, and we saw Saddam’s fighters barging into Sadr City. They cut out the tongue of a man from Sadr City, because he told a joke about Saddam. There might be a religious aspect to their opposition to the U.S. The Sadrists follow Imam Ha’iry in Iran who opposes the U.S. Imam Ha’iry is the spiritual leader for Moqtada Al Sadr. However, people need more motivations to risk their lives rather than just a belief.
When the U.S. toppled Saddam’s regime, people in Sadr City were cheering and celebrating. It is true they raised their own religious flags and slogans. However, they were cheering. As the months went by and they had not witnessed any improvements in receiving basic environmental services, they started doubting the U.S. intentions.
“Are you telling me that the U.S. can land a man on the moon with a precise fraction of the second, but they cannot fix the electricity, they cannot provide us with safe drinking water?” I have heard this argument millions of times from people in Sadr City. The daily frustration, anger, thirstiness, the heat of long summers in Baghdad made them easy recruits. Thus, although the Mahdi Army consists of 60,000 people of the three million, the Sadr City population continues to support them, providing hiding places and additional manpower. In exchange, the Sadrists provide services such as: electricity, gasoline, trash-pickup, and other related services.
Moreover, they provide a political voice and recognition for a social group that was silent and discriminated against for 35 years. The working class is now the “King Makers” in the Iraqi parliament. They now, dominate the Shiite coalition list, holding 40 out 70 seats within that coalition. Thus, the entire coalition cannot nominate the Prime Minister and his cabinet without their consent and approval.
The Sadrist prepared very well for the March elections. Most political parties were either depending on a juridical binding opinion from the clergy backing their candidacy or political campaigns. However, the Sadrists were working on organizing their constituency and building their capacity to vote for their candidates. The Sadrists utilized the Friday services to instruct their followers on which candidate to vote for. They organized every eligible voter in their constituency; men voted for men and women voted for women. For example, each candidate must acquire at least 35,000 votes to occupy a seat in the parliament. The Sadrists organized women in their constituency to vote for Maha Al Duri, their female candidate in Baghdad. While many prominent politicians including ministers, senior advisors to the prime minister, and high ranking members of political parties, could not acquire that number of votes, the female candidate of the Sadrists acquired the number of votes required. Unlike other female candidates, Maha Al Duri, won without the quota system.
Moreover, the Sadrists nominated three candidates to represent Thi Qar province. However, these three candidates are not from Thi Qar, they are outsiders. Their three candidates won and they competed with candidates from Thi Qar province and they defeated them. The Sadrists utilized their tribal connections in Thi Qar to support their candidates and they succeeded. The winning of three outsiders is another message exemplifying their strength and well organized structure.
As a grassroots movement, the Sadrists understand security beyond the mere use of force. To them security is a process where all members of their constituency play a role. Moreover, they comprehend that providing services are part of the security.
Now, do you think stability operations should be broadened to include basic environmental services? Do you think women can play a role in security and stability? And above all, do you think providing basic environmental services should be part of counterinsurgency?
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