| Description |
1 online resource |
|
text file |
| Bibliography |
Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| 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. |
| Local Note |
eBooks on EBSCOhost EBSCO eBook Subscription Academic Collection - North America |
| Subject |
Iraq -- Politics and government -- 2003-
|
|
Iraq. |
|
Politics and government. |
| Chronological Term |
2003- |
| Subject |
Ulama -- Political activity -- Iraq -- History -- 21st century.
|
|
Ulama -- Political activity. |
|
History. |
| Chronological Term |
21st century |
| Subject |
Ulama. |
|
Islam and politics -- Iraq -- History -- 21st century.
|
|
Islam and politics. |
|
Nationalism -- Iraq -- History -- 21st century.
|
|
Nationalism. |
| Chronological Term |
Since 2000 |
| Genre/Form |
Electronic books.
|
|
Electronic books.
|
|
History.
|
| Other Form: |
Print version: Sayej, Caroleen Marji, 1975- Patriotic ayatollahs. Ithaca : Cornell University Press, 2018 9781501715211 (DLC) 2017028911 |
| ISBN |
9781501714856 (electronic book) |
|
1501714856 (electronic book) |
|
9781501714764 |
|
1501714767 |
|
9781501715211 |
|
