Iraq on the edge

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is one of the most influential religious and political figures in the country, despite not holding any official title in the Iraqi government. The powerful Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has withdrawn from politics,on February 18, 2014, dismantling his influential political movement , the Sadrist Movement. in a move that has stunned his followers and handed a pre-election boost to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.