Prominent Shiite religious leader Muqtada al-Sadr announced Friday that most of the activities of the Sadrist movement , one of the most prominent political movements in Iraq, would be frozen for a period of "no less than" a year.

Al-Sadr, who constantly calls for the fight against political corruption, used to surprise his supporters and opponents with decisions on social media. During the past year, he announced his withdrawal from political life.

Al-Sadr has a wide fan base thanks to the heritage of his family that belongs to the lineage of the Prophet, and he has hundreds of thousands of supporters who obey his orders, in support of his father who was assassinated by Saddam Hussein's regime in 1999 and his memory is still widely respected by the majority of Shiites.

Al-Sadr said in a tweet on Twitter, "Being a reformer for Iraq and not being able to reform (the Sadrist movement) is a sin. And if I continue to lead the (Sadr movement) and it includes (the people of the cause) and some corrupt and some reprehensible people, this is a serious matter."

Al-Sadr’s announcement comes after Iraqis and media platforms circulated on social media a video clip attributed to a supporter of a mysterious group calling itself “Ansar al-Qa’ida,” during which he called for a “campaign to declare allegiance to the promised imam, Sayyid Muqtada al-Sadr,” in reference to the hidden imam, the Mahdi, who hopes Shiites back.

Therefore, Al-Sadr decided in the tweet that "it is in the interest to freeze the movement as a whole, except for Friday prayers, the Heritage Committee, and (Barani Al-Sayyid Al-Shahid), for a period of no less than a year."

The Heritage Authority carries out cultural and religious activities, and the Shiites call it "Barani" on a wide hall near the building of the shrine of prominent imams and clerics.

Likewise, “the shrine of the father is closed until after Eid al-Fitr,” which begins after the twentieth of this month and lasts for three days.

For its part, the Karkh Investigation Court in Baghdad decided to "arrest 65 accused members of the so-called (case owners) gang that promote ideas that cause strife and disturb social security," according to the Supreme Judicial Media.

The court made its decision in coordination with the National Security Agency, as it is the competent authority for the investigation.

In 2022, during a political crisis related to naming a prime minister, al-Sadr announced his "final withdrawal" from political action, which led to bloody armed clashes in Baghdad between his supporters on the one hand and Shiite factions on the other.
He had previously announced the resignation of the Sadrist movement's deputies (73 deputies), who represented the largest political bloc in the House of Representatives.