The Clergy and the Modern Middle East: Shi'i Political Activism in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon

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The Shi'i clergy are amongst the most influential political players in the Middle East. For decades, scholars and observers have tried to understand the balance of power between, Shi'i 'quietism' and 'activism'. The book is based on exclusive interviews with high-profile Shi'i clerics in order to reveal how the Shi'i clerical elite perceives its role and engages in politics today. The book focuses on three ground-breaking events in the modern Middle East: the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, the 2003 Iraq War, and the 2006 July war in Lebanon. By examining the nature and evolution of a Shi'i clerical network the book finds that, far from there being strategic differences between 'quitest' and 'activist' clerics, Shi'i mujtahid statesmen matured, from 1979 in Iran to 2003 Iraq, by way of a pragmatism which led to a strong form of transnational and associated whole in Lebanon in 2006. In doing so, the book breaks down the established, and misleading, dichotomisation of the Shi'i clergy into 'quietists' and 'activists' and discovers that the decision of Shi'i clerical elites to become politically active or to stay out of politics are attributable to their ability to adapt to their political environments. Half Title Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Content Figures Preface Chapter 1: Introduction Shiʿi clerical political activism Shiʿi clerical political activism and opportunity structures Shiʿi clerical political activism in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon Demystifying the role of Shiʿi clerics in politics of the modern Middle East Chapter 2: Shiʿi clerical authority: Structures and functions Early Shiʿi political doctrines The abandoned Ummah: Shiʿi clerical authority and the Occultation era The formation and consolidation of the office of Shiʿi Marja’iyya Chapter 3: Shiʿi clergy political activism: A modern history The early mujtahids Mujtahids in the aftermath of the Shiʿi Safavid dynasty The Russo-Persian Wars: The Jihadi mujtahids The tobacco revolt: A case of Shiʿi transnationalism Mujtahids and the Persian Constitutional Revolution: Disparate or deceived? Chapter 4: Iran 1979: The birth of the mujtahid statesmen The rise of the Pahlavi and the Iranian mujtahids The interregnum era, and the permissive context for clerical activism Mujtahids and the Iranian national movement: A case of a missed opportunity? Burujirdi’s inheritors and the modern Iran The 1963 Uprising: The formation of revolutionary Shiʿism in Iran The political posture of the leader: The Ayatollah on the path to becoming the Imam Performative theory: The modernized guardianship of the jurist The power of mujtahids’ solidarity in Iran The establishment of the Islamic Republic Chapter 5: Iraq 2003: The pragmatic Shiʿi mujtahids From Ottoman to independent Iraq: Iranian mujtahids and Iraqi politics The 1920 Uprising in Iraq: Active mujtahids, failed revolt The Republic of Iraq: A permissive context for Shiʿi political movements An Arab mujtahid: The political posture(s) of Muhsin Al-Hakim Shiʿi activism and its mission in Iraq: The case of Muhamamd Baqir Sadr Baʿthist Iraq, a closed structure, and Khoei’s political posture The Iran–Iraq War: Shiʿism, Arabism and Iraqism The 1991 Uprising: Broken promises and missed opportunities The power of Mujtahids’ solidarity in Iraq A pragmatic mujtahid: Sistani and post-Saddam Iraq Chapter 6: Lebanon 2006: The networked Shiʿi mujtahids Second-class citizens: The Shiʿis of Lebanon Independent Lebanon: The outcast Shiʿi community The Republic of Lebanon: The Shiʿis plea for new leadership The Reformist mujtahid: Musa Sadr’s perceptions and postures The Islamic Republic of Iran, and birth of revolutionary Shiʿism in Lebanon Lebanese mujtahids in the political arena: The establishment of Hezbollah The clash of Shiʿi political activism: AMAL and Hezbollah The power of mujtahids’ solidarity in Lebanon: The politics of resistance The combatant mujtahid: The political posture of Hassan Nasrallah The 33-Days War: A case of networked Shiʿi politics Chapter 7: The power of Shiʿi clergy’s solidarity and the future of the Middle East The contemporary Middle East, political opportunity structures and Shiʿi activism The transnational mujtahids The myth of ‘quietism’ versus ‘activism’: How does the Shiʿi clergy read its history? Glossary Notes Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Bibliography Non-English Sources English Sources Selected Interviews Index