Shafaq News- Najaf

Iraqi political analyst Ghaith al-Tamimi faces renewed calls for a broadcast ban and tribal disavowal over public statements praising Israel, after Muqtada al-Sadr, leader of the Patriotic Shiite Movement and one of Iraq's most influential Shiite religious and political figures, urged Iraqi television channels on Wednesday to stop hosting him.

Al-Sadr's statement characterized al-Tamimi as an “agent of Iraq's enemies who had traded his religion for personal gain,” and said no one should engage with him. Al-Sadr also urged al-Tamimi's tribe to publicly disown him to protect its reputation.

Born in 1981 in Kadhimiya and living in the UK, al-Tamimi trained at the Shiite religious seminary in Najaf and specialized in Islamic thought. He heads the Iraqi Center for Diversity Management and has appeared in recent weeks praising Israel publicly while directing sharp criticism at Palestinians.

Iraq's parliament passed legislation, introduced by al-Sadr’s parliamentary bloc in May 2022, titled "Criminalizing Normalization and Establishment of Relations with the Zionist Entity," with 275 of the 329-seat assembly voting in favor. The law makes violations punishable by death or life imprisonment for all Iraqis, whether inside or outside the country, if they establish relations with Israel, visit it, or promote normalization.