...the killing of Saddam Hussein's sons has not helped curb attacks on the US troops occupying Iraq. The Americans therefore should be concerned about a seeming increase in such attacks, which they attribute to "pro-Saddam forces". However, the growing radicalization of Iraqi Shi'ites, as reflected in the creation of the "army of al-Mahdi", heralds the widening of the anti-occupation movement beyond the expectations of the US government.
Last Thursday, about 10,000 young men reportedly showed up in the holy city of Najaf to join the "army of al-Mahdi". The volunteers had responded to a request by Muqtada al-Sadr, a 30-year-old anti-American cleric with an expanding following among the dissatisfied Iraqi Shi'ites. The cleric has been trying to establish himself as the leader of the Iraqi Shi'ites since the fall of the Saddam Hussein regime.
His army is named after Mahdi, the 12th Imam of the Shi'ites, who is believed to have disappeared about 1,200 years ago. Being a descendent of the Prophet Mohammad, the imam will reappear to save the world when corruption and oppression dominates, according to the Shi'ite faith. His reappearance will therefore end tyrannical and corrupt regimes. This concept of the promised savior (or messiah) has existed in other religions and different Islamic sects in various forms. Al-Sadr's choice of name for his army indicates his intention to capitalize on this belief's message, ie, fighting the oppressors, now symbolized by the US occupying force. According to some reports, an additional reason for this naming could be a belief among some of al-Sadr's followers who consider him as a Mahdi.
Hooman Peimani Asia Times Aug 5, 2003
