Patrick Cockburn, author of Muqtada!: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia Revival and the Future of Iraq, interviews the powerful Iraqi kingmaker for the Independent:
The future of Iraq as a united and independent country is endangered by sectarian Shia-Sunni hostility says Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia religious leader whose Mehdi Army militia fought the US and British armies and who remains a powerful figure in Iraqi politics. He warns of the danger that ‘the Iraqi people will disintegrate, its government will disintegrate, and it will be easy for external powers to control the country.’
In an interview with The Independent in the holy city of Najaf, 100 miles south-west of Baghdad — the first interview Mr Sadr has given face-to-face with a Western journalist for almost 10 years — he expressed pessimism about the immediate prospects for Iraq, saying: ‘The near future is dark.’
Mr Sadr said he is most worried about sectarianism affecting Iraqis at street level, believing that ‘if it spreads among the people it will be difficult to fight’. He says he believes that standing against sectarianism has made him lose support among his followers. …
Mr Sadr said he and other Iraqi leaders had tried to replace him in the past, but Mr Maliki had survived in office because of his support from foreign powers, notably the US and Iran. ‘What is really surprising is that America and Iran should decide on one person,’ he said. ‘Maliki is strong because he is supported by the United States, Britain and Iran.’
