Sectarianism a danger: Al-Sadr urges restraint, disarms PSM
Shafaq News/ Iraq’s Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), led by Muqtada al-Sadr, has issued new directives banning the group from carrying weapons both inside and outside Iraq.
Conveyed by Tahseen al-Hamidawi, military assistant to the PSM's armed wing, Saraya Al-Salam, the orders called for avoiding sectarian rhetoric, warning that such language could harm Iraq and its people.
Al-Sadr stressed that "the fate of the nation and its people should not be determined by any individual or group." He also urged party members to turn to religious authorities and wise figures, rather than the corrupt or oppressive, if Iraq faces external aggression. "Only through unity and wisdom can we ensure Iraq’s safety and sovereignty," he added.
The directives come as regional tensions rise, with a US military campaign targeting Yemen’s Houthis and Israel resuming airstrikes on Gaza after a truce with Hamas collapsed. The violence has resulted in hundreds of casualties, and concerns are mounting that the conflict could spill over into Iraq, particularly after US President Donald Trump’s warnings to Iran over its support for the Houthis.
Earlier today, al-Sadr condemned Israel’s airstrikes on Gaza and criticized the international community’s silence.
In a post on X, he warned that such inaction would allow Zionism to expand across Islamic and Arab lands. "Israel will eventually reach the Iraqi borders it seeks, and by then, regret will be too late," he cautioned.
— مقتدى السيد محمد الصدر (@Mu_AlSadr) March 18, 2025
