Al-Baghdadiya TV reported senior Iraqi religious figure Mohammad Taghi al-Modarressi lashed at Maliki’s government and said, “The people have demands… the important issue is to defend what is right, the people must defend their rights, the fact that they say why they are demonstrating and why have they raised their voices, they must be told: This is my right. Why are you interrogating me? Why have they deprived me of my rights? Why has he raised his voice against my rights? I must defend my rights.”