Supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, the powerful Iraqi Shia leader, stormed the Parliament building in Baghdad this past week. Sadr’s political party won more seats than any other group in the last election, but those lawmakers walked out and Iraq hasn’t had a government for nine months. So, what does Sadr want? Why do so many Iraqis support his political movement? And who is Muqtada al-Sadr? From Baghdad, Yasmine Mosimann reports.
The story you just read is available to read for free because thousands of listeners and readers like you generously support our nonprofit newsroom. Every day, the reporters and producers at The World are hard at work bringing you human-centered news from across the globe. But we can’t do it without you: We need your support to ensure we can continue this work for another year.
When you make a gift of $10 or more a month, we’ll invite you to a virtual behind-the-scenes tour of our newsroom to thank you for being with The World.