Iraqis wary of political role for Popular Mobilization Units
Signs indicate that the PMU hopes to assume a political role in Iraq, which has raised concerns among some Iraqis.
The Popular Mobilization Units (PMU) in Basra recently gave an old street a new name, Imam Khomeini Street. Naming a street after the leader of the Iranian Revolution, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, is not new in Iraq. The local government in the holy city of Najaf had renamed a street after him in April 2015. The change in Basra, made July 1, sparked controversy and debate on social media because it was done outside legal and administrative procedures. The PMU's apparent usurpation of this power of local authorities and other actions have sparked debate on social media and elsewhere about what this might mean for the future in terms of the PMU's political ambitions and quest for power.
Taleb Abdel Aziz, a journalist from Basra, and Sattar Awad, a professor of philosophy at the Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad, expressed concern to Al-Monitor about the implications of the PMU's assertiveness on Iraqis' rights down the road. PMU spokesperson Karim al-Nuri told Al-Monitor that having political ambition is a legitimate goal for PMU militias given their defense of Iraq against the Islamic State (IS).
Al-Monitor sought to learn from the Basra municipality whether the street name change is official, but to no avail. “We categorically refuse to confirm or deny the matter,” said Alaa al-Ali, the municipality's media officer. In addition, no official statement was released by the province or the provincial council on the matter. Speaking to Al-Monitor about the street renaming, Nuri declined to claim responsibility for his group, but he also did not question the move.
The PMU has apparently been increasingly trying to impose its authority and ideology in Basra and other predominantly Shiite areas in the south. Taleb Abdulaziz, a well-known poet and media figure from Basra, told Al-Monitor that the organization has in some instances prohibited the sale and purchase of alcoholic beverages and certain haircuts considered Western. It has also been raising Shiite flags and its symbols on public institutions.
