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In Iraq, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr was once one of the country's most powerful men. At his word, tens of thousands of young men would flood the streets for demonstrations. His militia, known as the Mahdi Army, battled U.S. forces, Iraqi government troops, and Sunni militiamen. His supporters in the Iraqi Parliament once were considered kingmakers. But for the upcoming provincial elections, Sadr's allies are not even on the official list of candidates. NPR's JJ Sutherland in Baghdad examines Sadr's changing fortunes.
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JJ SUTHERLAND: The men stream in, in their thousands. Everyone is searched by grim-faced young men as they approach. Huge Iraqi flags are joined by Palestinian ones this Friday, a show of solidarity with the people of Gaza.
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SUTHERLAND: Friday prayers in Sadr City is still the heart of the Sadrist movement. Though not officially participating in Saturday's provincial elections, Sadrist leaders are endorsing two so-called independent lists. Ahmed Hussein is a young, poor Shiite like many of Sadr's followers. He says they will all follow Sadr's orders.
Mr. AHMED HUSSEIN: (Through Translator) If you ask me to vote for any other party, I will not, because I have to follow my leader, and Sadrists will do the same.
SUTHERLAND: Sadr, himself, hasn't been seen in public in Iraq since the fall of 2007. He's said to be studying Islamic theology in the Iranian holy city of Qum. Sadr's official spokesman in Iraq is Salah Obeidi. He says Sadrists aren't fielding candidates themselves, but do want their followers' voices to be heard.
Mr. SALAH OBEIDI (Official Spokesman for Muqtada al-Sadr, Iraq): We think that we are not a political party, but we are a powerful, popular movement that we have to participate in such important events to balance the situation.
SUTHERLAND: Some Iraqi analysts believe the Sadrists could tip that balance. The two large Shiite parties - Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's Dawa party and the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq - are vying for control of the Shiite south. And Sadrist voters could make the difference in that fight. The issue that concerns Obeidi the most is a proposed vote to make much of southern Iraq into a separately governed region, such as the Kurds have in the north - a move that would weaken the power of the central government in the area and something the Sadrists strongly oppose. The Islamic Council is the main force behind the push for an autonomous region. One of its leaders, Hasan al-Zamahly, doesn't think the Sadrists pose much of a threat now.
Mr. HASAN AL-ZAMAHLY (Leader, Islamic Council): (Through Translator) When they say we Sadrists don't participate in the political process, it's because they know that their participation will expose their real weakness.
SUTHERLAND: The Sadrists once had both political and military arms. Their Mahdi Army militia targeted American soldiers. They also inspired fear among Iraqis. During the worst of the sectarian violence in 2006 and 2007, death squads linked to the Mahdi Army left dozens of bodies in Baghdad's streets every day - most of them Sunnis in what are now mostly Shiite neighborhoods. But the militia's power was shattered last year. Iraqi and American forces fought pitch battles with the Mahdi Army in southern cities like Basra and in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. Now, both American and Iraqi officials say the Mahdi Army is a broken force. Ibrahim Samaidai is a political analyst.
Mr. IBRAHIM SAMAIDAI (Political Analyst): The Sadrists now, just like the orphans, some of them dismissed by Mr. Sadr, and those people are wanted for the Iraqi government and wanted for the coalition forces and hated by all of Iraqi's people.
SUTHERLAND: Obeidi, Sadr's spokesman, gets angry when he hears such things, saying the Mahdi Army was the main defender of the Shiite community.
Mr. OBEIDI: We have fought against al-Qaeda. We have defended the millions of visitors to, for example, the holy shrine in Najaf or the holy shrine in Karbala when there were weak Iraqi army, when there were weak Iraqi police.
SUTHERLAND: Obeidi adds that the Sadrists haven't completely given up on an armed force. And he and other Sadrists are confident the candidates the movement supports will do well in the upcoming elections. JJ Sutherland, NPR News, Baghdad.