Muqtada al-Sadr, the leader of the Sadrist movement, warned US President Joe Biden on Friday against continuing his “creep” into the Middle East in order to support Israel, while also calling on Iraqis to collect aid and send it to the besieged Gaza Strip via Syria or Egypt.
This was said during a Friday prayer sermon read on behalf of Al-Sadr by cleric Muhannad Al-Moussawi, among hundreds of Sadrist activists supporting the Palestinian cause in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.
Speaking to Vice President Biden, Al-Sadr said, “Your march towards the Middle East will cause you a reaction that you do not expect, not from the submissive, but from the mujahideen in Palestine, and those who support them, and all the Arab and Islamic peoples are ready to sacrifice what is dear and precious, and they are waiting for one sign from those with special needs.” Not from the corrupt and appeasers, but from faith, justice, wisdom, and jihad.”
Al-Sadr also urged nonviolent protestors in Iraq to help organize and equip the “flood convoy” with water and food, adding, “Perhaps we will be able to deliver it to our people in Gaza after coordinating with Syria or Egypt, and if not, then that is fine.”
Since the early morning hours of Friday, dozens of protestors, mostly followers of the Sadrist movement, have gathered in Baghdad’s Tahrir Square.
Last Monday, the head of the Sadr movement, Muqtada al-Sadr, invited his supporters to join him in a million-man march in solidarity of the Palestinian people following a united prayer today, Friday.
Since yesterday, Thursday, Baghdad has been prepared to host masses of protestors, despite stringent security precautions implemented by the competent authorities, particularly in Tahrir plaza and its surrounds, including the closure of highways leading to the plaza from all directions.
