Muqtada Supporter Arab Turkmen Unity

Juan Cole 09/23/2003

Muqtada Supporter: Arab-Turkmen Unity against Kurds

A radical young follower of Shiite firebrand Muqtada al-Sadr has called for an Arab-Turkmen alliance against the Kurds in Kirkuk. Abd al-Fattah al-Musawi, from a poor family in Karbala, complained bitterly about the secular atmosphere in Kirkuk and the dominance of Kurdish parties. A few weeks ago, Sunni Kurds and Turkmen Shiites clashed over a shrine at Tuz Khurmato, suggesting the alliance to some Sadrists. (-AFP via al-Sharq al-Awsat)

About the Author

Juan Cole is the founder and chief editor of Informed Comment. He is Richard P. Mitchell Professor of History at the University of Michigan He is author of, among many other books, Muhammad: Prophet of Peace amid the Clash of Empires and The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. Follow him on Twitter at @jricole or the Informed Comment Facebook Page