Al-Sadr warns against regional sectarian incitement

Muqtada Al-Sadr, leader of Iraq’s Patriotic Shiite Movement (PSM), warned on Wednesday against attempts to inflame sectarian tensions in the region amid what he described as an unprecedented escalation across the Middle East.

In a statement, Al-Sadr said he had been informed that some individuals were seeking to stir sectarian sentiments by exploiting the current regional tensions, adding, “I call on the conscious peoples of the region, especially the people of Iraq, both Sunnis and Shiites, to act with wisdom and adhere to Islamic and Quranic principles of brotherhood.”

Al-Sadr stressed that the blood of a Shiite Muslim is forbidden to a Sunni Muslim, and vice versa, urging communities to remain united. He also called on people to “recognize the scale of the threat posed by our common enemy and its extremist affiliates operating in different parts of the region.”