Top Sadrist Figure Thanks Dawa Party Amid Tension, Criticizes 'Social Media Militias'

Shafaq News/ A self-proclaimed associate of influential Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, on Saturday expressed gratitude to the Islamic Dawa Party for proposing legislation that criminalizes disrespecting religious scholars.

"I have read the statement of our brothers in the Dawa Party, far from their leaders' directions and away from the social media militias such as the Bashaer Movement," Saleh al-Iraqi, who runs a Twitter account named "the leader's advisor" and is widely believed to be al-Sadr's mouthpiece, tweeted, "We thank them for their response to our demand for a legislation that criminalizes attacks on scholars unjustifiably."

Al-Iraqi said the Sadrist movement "did not and would never take any action without consulting their religious institution."

Referring to recent events, al-Iraqi described them not only as an "emotional, spontaneous" but also a "revolutionary" reaction from the Sadrists to halt attacks on religious scholars, following their defense of the Quran and their rejection of indecency.

He urged the Sadrists to give an opportunity to the "sincere remaining members of the Dawa Party and those in their alliance who claim to love the religion, the sect, and the Sadr family's martyrs, to enact this law under the parliament's dome in defense of the religion and the sect."

"If they fail to do so," al-Iraqi warned, "this will be a mark of disgrace and a cause for deep resentment."