The Shi'ite Movement in Iraq

Abstract

This paper aims to understand the religious, political, and organizational background of the Shi‟ite movement inIraq. It identifies the relationships that Iraqi Shi‟ite groups have developed with other regional actors, mostnotably Iran, as well as the Shi‟ite opinion leaders who have earned a prominent religious and political identityin the country, including Ayatollah Sistani, Muqtada al-Sadr, and the al-Hekim family. Finally, this paper alsoanalyzes Shi‟ite relations with and approaches to the state. Faleh Cabbar, an Iraqi sociologist, offers a veryimportant historical and general framework in his book on the Shi‟ite Movement in Iraq. However, much of itwill require constant updates its utility as a bedside resource will rapidly diminish as the position and actions ofIraqi Shi‟ites change over time.