Patriotic Ayatollahs: Nationalism in Post-Saddam Iraq Contributor(s): Sayej, Caroleen Marji (Author) |
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ISBN: 1501715216 ISBN-13: 9781501715211 Publisher: Cornell University Press
Binding Type: Hardcover - See All Available Formats & Editions Published: April 2018 |
Additional Information |
BISAC Categories: - History | Middle East - Iraq - Political Science | Political Ideologies - Democracy - Religion | Islam - Shi'a |
Dewey: 956.704 |
LCCN: 2017028911 |
Age Level: 18-UP |
Grade Level: 13-UP |
Physical Information: 0.69" H x 6" W x 9" L (1.12 lbs) 240 pages |
Themes: - Religious Orientation - Islamic - Cultural Region - Middle East |
Features: Bibliography, Dust Cover, Index, Maps, Price on Product, Unabridged |
Review Citations: Choice 08/01/2018 |
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
Publisher Description: 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 communiqu s 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. |
Contributor Bio(s): Sayej, Caroleen Marji: - Caroleen Marji Sayej teaches government and international relations at Connecticut College. She is co-editor of The Iraq Papers. |
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