The 2008 TIME 100 Finalists

Read about the leaders, artists, enterpreneurs and thinkers who, in your opinion, deserve a spot on this year's TIME 100 —Scott Brown and Michelle Kung

MUQTADA AL-SADR

Alaa Al- Marjani / AP
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AGE: mid-30s
OCCUPATION: Iraq's dominant Shiite cleric and unofficial head of the Mahdi Army, a powerful militia based out of Baghdad's massive Shiite slum, Sadr City
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 2

PRO: Sadr-sponsored prime minister Nuri al-Maliki remains Iraq's most powerful political figure (whatever that means), and a Mahdi cease-fire with American forces helped make the Surge a success.

CON: But as the Surge winds down, the cease-fire seems to be fraying: attacks by Mahdi splinter groups (many of which are trained and supplied in Iran) are pushing the body count up again. Is this Sadr's doing? Or is Iran pulling the strings?

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