A radical Shia cleric turned politician has called for Christian homes stolen to be returned to their rightful owners.

Muqtada al-Sadr, once labelled "the most dangerous man in Iraq," has called for homes belonging to Christian families which have been illegally stolen to be returned.

The phenomenon of supposedly legal thefts is closely linked the mass exodus of Christians from Iraq following the US-led invasion. Scammers took possession of empty homes gaining official approval on the basis the original owners would not return.

However al-Sadr has joined MPs and Christian associations calling for local governments to end the practice of giving false certificates of ownership.

The leader of the Sadrist Movement and founder of the Mahdi Army was a key fighter in the resistence to the allied invasion. However in recent years the Shi'ite militia leader has appeared to moderate his approach.

"In the past few years, al-Sadr has recalibrated his politics and adopted an Iraqi-first approach that transcends subnational sectarian interests and could in fact help to heal the rifts in Iraq," according to ankawa.com

The former Iraqi immigration minister, who is a Christian, expressed her gratitude for the Shi'ite leader's stand on the issue.

Pascale Warda, who was in the first transitional government after Saddam Hussain, has called for all Iraqi citizens to support al-Sadr's stance.