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[C]apitalizing on the spiritual legacy of his father and uncle, Mohammed Mohammed Sadiq Al-Sadr and Mohammed Baqir Al-Sadr, both senior Shiite clerics executed by Hussein, Muqtada's political fortunes rose steadily, making himself an actor to be reckoned with. In April 2004, he led a major rebellion against the US-led coalition which he considered an occupation force.

Today, amid popular demand for change in Iraq, Sadr has put his political capital on the line in advocating an overhaul of the Iraqi political system. "Muqtada has clearly enhanced his status by adopting a populist, non-sectarian stance at a time when Iraqis are peculiarly conscious of the corrupt and dysfunctional nature of their government because there is not sufficient oil revenue to cover expenditure," said Patrick Cockburn, a Middle East correspondent for the British Independent and author of the book "Muqtada: Muqtada al-Sadr, the Shia revival and the Struggle for Iraq."

Sadr has been supporting efforts by embattled Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to form a cabinet of ministers with technocratic and professional backgrounds and not beholden to political elites. Growing exasperated with Iraq's paralyzed political system, on April 20 Sadr suspended the activities of the al-Ahrar parliamentary bloc, with which he is associated as a spiritual leader.

Then, on April 30, Sadr's supporters, who had for weeks staged protests on Baghdad's streets, stormed the parliament building in the city's fortified Green Zone, which houses state institutions as well as the US and British Embassies and has become a symbol of the country's political dysfunction. This unexpected action sent shock waves through Iraq. With the country in the midst of a bloody war against the Islamic State (IS), many feared the move on parliament might lead to the collapse of the state structure.

Ever adept and calculating, Sadr acted to prevent the dramatic maneuver from spiraling out of control, pulling his supporters out of the Green Zone after a 24-hour sit in. The message was clear: Sadr showed he is willing to take extraordinary measures and that he can hold the country's center of power at his mercy. Many now wonder if Sadr's intent is to dominate the country's political landscape, rendering himself the one calling the shots. His supporters say that is not the goal.

"The Sadrist current does not seek hegemony," Dhia al-Assadi, former chief of al-Ahrar, told Al-Monitor. "If we sought hegemony, we would want a greater presence for ourselves in the Cabinet and other state institutions. ... We are not trying to attain the office of prime minister."

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