BAGHDAD —  Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr’s sudden change of heart regarding the popular protests right before the appointment of Mohammed Tawfiq Allawi as prime minister has caused his longtime alliance with the largely secular civil current to face a moment of truth. The mutual interests of the two sides appear to have hit a wall, with the protest movement demanding more radical change than the man once referred to as a "radical cleric" is willing to bear.

Sadr ordered his followers to withdraw from the protest squares Jan. 25 after demonstrators in Tahrir Square did not participate in a demonstration he called for that demanded the withdrawal of US troops from the country.

However, he later ordered his followers to return to the squares. This was before Allawi was named prime minister-designate Feb. 1, and their return was coupled with violent activity on the part of his Blue Hat units. These units were formed by Sadr to help security forces open roads and “return the revolution to its peacefulness by expelling intruders,” as Sadr put it. This caused violent confrontations with the demonstrators and led to the killing of dozens.

Sadr’s recent moves have raised several questions and sparked a panoply of discussions in the media and on social media platforms, leading many in what is known as the civil current to change their opinions about him. For many in the civil current, Sadr was the most tolerated Islamic leader and an ally capable of bringing about political change. However, after Sadr's rapprochement with the blocs and parties close to Iran and his support for the appointment of Allawi, more and more civil current leaders started questioning the future of the alliance between the current and Sadr.