Title Patriotic ayatollahs : nationalism in in post-Saddam Iraq / Caroleen Marji Sayej

Published Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2018 ©2018

Click on the following:
EBSCO eBooks

Copies

Description 1 online resource Contents Introduction : the making and unmaking of Iraq -- The ayatollahs and the struggle to maintain legitimacy in the new public sphere -- Sistani, guardian of the democratic process -- Sistani, a guide only -- Quietists turned activists? -- Local and regional sectarian narratives -- Conclusion : rethinking religion and politics : Iraq and beyond Summary Patriotic Ayatollahs explores the contributions of senior clerics in state and nation-building after the 2003 Iraq war. Caroleen Sayej suggests that the four so-called Grand Ayatollahs, the highest-ranking clerics of Iraqi Shiism, took on a new and unexpected political role after the fall of Saddam Hussein. Drawing on previously unexamined Arabic-language fatwas, speeches, and communiqués of Iraq's four grand ayatollahs, this book analyzes how their new pronouncements and narratives shaped public debates after 2003. Sayej argues that, contrary to standard narratives about religious actors, the Grand Ayatollahs were among the most progressive voices in the new Iraqi nation. She traces the transformative position of Ayatollah Sistani as the "guardian of democracy" after 2003. Sistani was, in particular, instrumental in derailing American plans that would have excluded Iraqis from the state-building process--a remarkable story in which an octogenarian cleric takes on the United States over the meaning of democracy. Patriotic Ayatollahs' counter-conventional argument about the ayatollahs' vision of a nonsectarian nation is neatly realized. Through her deep knowledge and long-term engagement with Iraqi politics, Sayej advances our understanding of how the post-Saddam Iraqi nation was built Analysis Sistani, Fatwa, Shiism, democracy, middle east Bibliography Includes bibliographical references and index Notes Online resource; title from digital title page (viewed on March 26, 2018) Subject Ulama -- Political activity -- Iraq -- History -- 21st century Islam and politics -- Iraq -- History -- 21st century Nationalism -- Iraq -- History -- 21st century HISTORY -- Middle East -- General. POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Political Ideologies -- Democracy. Islam and politics Nationalism Politics and government Ulama -- Political activity SUBJECT Iraq -- Politics and government -- 2003- http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2004001807 Subject Iraq Genre/Form History Form Electronic book LC no. 2017030831 ISBN 9781501714856 1501714856

  Permalink