The escalating attacks of the government and militias against the civil movement have received wide criticism; the government and militias, unable to stop the increasing terrorist acts in Iraq, instead attack civil society organizations that are not protected by any official or nonofficial party. It seems that the cause of this campaign is that the civil movement in Iraq has started to unite and to become more effective after having started a number of demonstrations in the past few years.
A number of civil society figures successfully ran and won in the recent local council elections. Moreover, Iraq has been witnessing the rise of a moderate secular stream that is trying to join with moderate Islamists, which raises the possibility that these two camps could form a coalition against radical Islamic parties in upcoming elections.
On the other hand, the Shiite authority in Najaf has started to distance itself from the Shiite parties participating in the government and has recently been strongly supporting the protests and the protesters' demands.
Therefore, it appears that the attack on the civil movements serves as a proactive reaction on the part of the current government and radical religious militias, which are trying to minimize the chances of civil society having the upper hand in the upcoming elections.
Ali Mamouri is a columnist for Al-Monitor's Iraq Pulse. He is a researcher and writer who specializes in religion as well as a former teacher in Iranian universities and seminaries in Iran and Iraq. He has published several articles related to religious affairs in the two countries and societal transformations and sectarianism in the Middle East.
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