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Najaf, Iraq: Powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric Moqtada Al Sadr, not seen in public for months, issued a statement on Friday explaining his absence to his followers and admitting divisions in his movement.
"I swear that I live with you and among you. I am a part of you. I will not change this unless death separates us," he said in a two-page statement bearing his personal stamp.
The statement was issued on Friday two weeks after Al Sadr extended a ceasefire by his Mehdi Army for another six months.
He first called on the militia, blamed by the US military and Sunni Arabs for fuelling sectarian violence, to halt its activities in August so that he could reorganise it.
While professing their loyalty to the young cleric, many members of the Mehdi Army have openly questioned his decision to renew the ceasefire, fearing that US forces will exploit it to carry out further arrests of Al Sadr's followers.
Al Sadr, who commands a large following among young and poor Iraqi Shiites and has one of the largest bloc of legislators in parliament, has not been seen in public since attending a religious ceremony in the holy city of Kufa on May 25, 2007.
He did not indicate when he might return to public view.
In December, a senior aide to Al Sadr, Salah Al Ubaidi, said the young cleric was taking advanced Islamic studies in a bid to earn credentials that would allow him to issue decrees.
Sadr's statement issued on Friday acknowledged that his followers were wondering where he was and his absence "could be a reason for depressing them".
"Many whom we believed were good followers are not listening to or obeying the instructions of their religious leaders and they are involved in political conflicts," he said.
"Many followers have split from me for many reasons, some of them want to be independent. This does not mean there are not loyal followers," he added.
Al Sadr said he missed his followers "too much" but
every "commander needs to be away for a while to
worship."
"My late father personally recommended me to pay more
attention to learning and studying. The brothers in Sadrist
offices are continuing to serve the society," said his
statement, which was also published on the Sadrists' Web
site.
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