Najaf's residents rip radical cleric

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NAJAF, Iraq -- With a massive U.S. military force blocking the main roads, the residents of this holy Shi'ite city have begun to voice strong criticism of Sheik Muqtada al-Sadr, the young cleric whose uprising has brought the threat of an attack.

"Najaf people want peace and quiet," said Haidar, 39, who owns a small deli near the Imam Ali Mosque in the city. "Al-Sadr must get out of the city. This is not the time now to be against Americans even though I don't agree with the U.S. policy."

All the people interviewed during a visit insisted their full names not be used, for fear of repercussions.

The firebrand cleric, who controls a large militia force, meanwhile struck a defiant note during a sermon yesterday at the main mosque in neighboring Kufa yesterday.

"We will not allow the forces of occupation to enter Najaf and the holy sites because they are forbidden places for them," he thundered and called on the faithful to support his tough stance and fight.

The Kufa mosque has been ringed with machine-gun emplacements, razor wire and young militiamen digging trenches. Gun-toting militiamen also peer down from the high surrounding walls and turrets.

"It is martyrdom that I am yearning for, so support me and know that this is a war on Shi'ites," he said.

But three days spent inside Najaf -- within a stone's throw of the golden-domed Imam Ali Mosque and Sheik al-Sadr's well-guarded headquarters -- revealed almost no backing from residents for the 30-year-old cleric's armed confrontation with coalition forces.

Off a narrow alley diagonally opposite one of the main exits to the great mosque, Sheik al-Sadr is holding out behind a green door bearing his portrait.

Inside, men pray five times a day on carpets, while in the next room Sheik al-Sadr sits on cushions on the floor, receiving a steady stream of supporters -- and occasional would-be or actual mediators.