Antichrist Calls for Baghdad Protests (Revelation 13:18)

 
Shiite leader calls for Baghdad protests after Eid

By RUDAW 15 hours ago

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region – Shiite firebrand leader Muqtada al-Sadr called on Iraqis and his party’s followers to resume demonstrations against the Iraqi government after the Eid of Sacrifice ends tomorrow.

“Next Friday, Iraqis should pour into streets to call for the implementing of reforms and reiterate their demands from the government,” said Sadr in a statement on Saturday.

He added: “We call on all Iraqis to abide by the demonstration laws to secure the lives of protesters.”
In the past, Sadr has called on his followers to take to the streets in protest. On August 24, the prominent Shiite leader officially called on his people to demonstrate in the capital.
“We announce to all people, and to the Sadrists in particular, the need to participate in protests this Friday in Baghdad,” a Sadr spokesperson said. “The Sadrist participants should merge with the other protesters in a single, national Iraqi crucible.”

Protesters in Baghdad took to the streets about four months ago, demanding the government fight corruption and punish officials guilty of graft.

Following the protests, Prime Minister Haidar al-Abadi announced a series of cost-cutting reforms, slashing deputy positions in the presidency and premiership as well as in government. He also reduced the excessive number of official bodyguards.

Antichrist Calls for Release of Turkish Hostages (Rev 13:11)

Iraq’s Moqtada Al-Sadr Calls for Release of Turkish Hostages

Reuters | Updated: Sep 13, 2015 20:08 IST

Baghdad: Iraq’s powerful Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr has condemned the kidnapping of 18 Turkish workers in Baghdad last week and said he was ready to assist the government in securing their release.

Sadr’s message follows a similar statement by top Shi’ite cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who called for the Turkish hostages to be released.

The Turks, who work for a construction company owned by Nurol Holding, appeared in a video on Friday under a Shi’ite slogan, but it was not immediately clear if the kidnappers belonged to an established group.

The captors threatened to attack Turkish interests in Iraq unless Ankara met its demands, which included stopping the passage of militants from Turkey to Iraq.

Sadr’s opinion holds sway over tens of thousands of followers. Fighters loyal to him once controlled swathes of Baghdad and helped defend the capital after Islamic State swept across the Syrian border in June 2014.

Other militias, especially those funded and trained by Iran, have gained prominence in the past year as a critical deterrent against Islamic State in northern and western Iraq.

Baghdad has also seen a proliferation of well-armed criminal gangs carrying out contract killings, kidnappings and extortion.

“In my name and the name of all lovers of peace and Islam, I demand their release no matter the political or financial motives or other conflicts, and regardless of who the kidnapper was,” Sadr said of the Turkish hostages in a message to followers posted online on Saturday.

Sadr backed an initiative launched by Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi last month to overhaul a system wracked with corruption and mismanagement. He called on supporters to demonstrate in favour of the reform measures after Sistani had pushed Abadi to take bold action.
© Thomson Reuters 2015