And if not much choice in the matter, they may have been given food or the like. Saddam, like all dictators, could always turn out a crow. Al Sadr is a dictator wanna be. He knows the importance of the images, and he knows they create the illusion of power, just as the NAZIS did.
"He knows the importance of the images, and he knows they create the illusion of power, just as the NAZIS did."
The Nazi's didn't just have the illusion of power, they had the power.