Moqtada Sadr's influence in decline

BAGHDAD, May 27 (UPI) -- Rebel Shiite cleric Moqtada Sadr seeks to increase his influence in Iraq through political resolve but his street credibility may be diminishing, officials say.

Sadr comes from one of the most influential clerical families in the Shiite faith. When Sadr's father, Grand Ayatollah Mohammed Sadiq al-Sadr, and two of his sons were assassinated in 1999, Sadr emerged as the leader of what came to be known as the Sadrist movement. Following the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003 and a series of sectarian battles, Sadr solidified his position as a popular figure.

"I think now that the big bad ideas about Sayyid Moqtada Sadr -- that he is filled with violence and is a shallow man -- have changed so much, even in the West," Sadr spokesman Salah al-Obaidi told The New York Times.

Sadr's decision to continue his cleric studies in Iran and his tumultuous relationship with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki bolstered his influential position but the violence associated with his paramilitary force, the Mehdi Army, overshadows that perception, the Times said Tuesday.

While U.S. and Iraqi officials praised Sadr for his decision to rein in militants, previous conflicts have left more than 1,000 people dead and scores displaced from the fighting, ultimately frustrating many residents, the Los Angeles Times said.