MUST READ: THE SADR-SISTANI RELATIONSHIP

The Sadr-Sistani Relationship
By Babak Rahimi

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani and Moqtada al-SadrOne of the oddest developments in the recent history of Iraq has been the growing connection between the young firebrand cleric, Moqtada al-Sadr, and the highest-ranking Shiite cleric, Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Earlier in 2003, the erratic politics of al-Sadr, with his mix of Arab nationalism and militant chiliastic ideology, was considered to eventually collide with al-Sistani's quietist form of Shi'ism, which advocates that clerics should maintain a clear distance from day-to-day state politics. Since 2004, however, an unlikely alliance has gradually taken form between the former adversaries, which is bound to reshape Iraqi Shiite politics in the years to come.

...


Pertinent Links:

1) The Sadr-Sistani Relationship (pdf file link)