Muqtada al-Sadr

Muqtadā al-Ṣadr (Arabic: سيد مقتدى الصدر; born 12 August 1973) is an Iraqi Islamic popular leader.

Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr is one of the most influential religious and popular figures in Iraq, despite not holding any official title in the Iraqi government. He is the leader of a political party, the Sadrist Movement.

Titles

He is of the prominent Sadr family originating from Jabal Amel in Lebanon but later settled in Najaf, his father-in-law being Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr. He is often referred to as Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr. The title Sayyid ("Mr." or "Sir") is generally used among Shi‘a Muslims related to Mohammed through his daughter Fatimah's marriage with Ali. Thus, a great deal of respect is paid by the Shiite Muslims to the Sayyids throughout society.

Western media often refer to Muqtada al-Sadr as a "anti-american" or "radical" cleric, but his formal religious standing is comparatively low, at a mid-ranking Shia religious rank perhaps reflecting his youth, and he does not claim the title of mujtahid (the equivalent of a senior religious scholar) or the authority to issue fatwas. In early 2008, however, al-Sadr was reported to be studying to be an ayatollah, which would greatly improve his religious standing.