Unlikely leader's message of hate

Moqtada Al-Sadr seems an unlikely figure to lead a renegade movement against the most powerful military alliance in the world.

But in the last few months, the softly-spoken cleric has single-handedly threatened Iraq's future and caused the new administration under interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi its first security and political crisis.

Al-Sadr, 31, has become the most extreme leader among majority Shia Muslims and the only one openly to urge violence against Western forces.

Son of a revered spiritual leader assassinated in 1999 by Saddam Hussein's security forces, Al-Sadr has a distinctive message of hatred towards the Americans that - combined with a programme of social work by his followers - has earned him loyal support among Iraq's disenchanted urban poor, who often chant their readiness at rallies to die for him.