Residents in Najaf, the Iraqi town where Moqtada al-Sadr is leading an uprising against US-led coalition troops, are increasingly tight-lipped about the young rebel cleric, according to American filmmaker James Longley.
As resentment toward Mr Sadr grows and skirmishes continue, Longley, who is making a documentary about the cleric, has found that it is virtually impossible to find a voice of dissent.
'During the last month or so, what I've noticed is that the willingness of people to talk about what is going on has really declined. No one will speak their mind if they have an opinion opposing Moqtada al-Sadr or his militia,' Longley said.
'I went to do an interview with a schoolteacher I know but he declined.
The man was worried that people would question him about why he gave an interview to an American and what they talked about, Longley said.
'Most people in this city are not very pleased and they just want to get back to normal, but no one is going to say that out loud,' he said.
Longley said a Sadr supporter harassed him to erase his tape soon after he filmed an interview with a man who said his house had been hit by gunfire and life made miserable by the militia.