> the “bloody extremist group” had tarnished the image of Islam
Much like a fresh turd tarnishes a sewer pipe.
There is something many people overlook when discussing Muslims. How they interpret the Koran. Most do not read it and make their own reflections as Protestants do with the KJV. They listen and follow their clerics in a similar way to Catholicism. The clerics interpret a great deal of scholarly religious literature beyond the Koran. They undergo formal training and testing to determine their fitness as religious civic leaders.
It’s the fanatics that pick up the Koran, read it for themselves for their own conclusions, usually in the service of their own ambitions. This is a known phenomena among Muslims and it is considered irresponsible and even dangerous to Muslims. As it has become clear.
This clerics argument makes complete sense in this regard and I believe he is being sincere and truthful because he is correct. Iraq’s senior Shia cleric Al-Sistani has made similar statements about ISIS but characterized it as more of a threat to Iraq. Al Sadr is seen as an upstart, a troublemaker as he skirts the Shia hierarchy on the basis of his (dead) father’s influence and his financial support from Iran.