During decades of turmoil, war, and regime change in Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani has played a critical, often overlooked role—steering Iraq away from sectarian conflict, promoting civic democracy over direct theocracy, and quietly seeking to calm regional tensions.
On this episode of Order from Ashes, Century International fellow Sajad Jiyad explains how Sistani has appealed to a majority of the world’s millions of Shia Muslims with his indirect model of clerical authority, a stark contrast to the competing model of direct clerical rule advanced by his compatriots in Iran.
Jiyad has published a new political biography, God’s Man in Iraq: The Life and Leadership of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, which offers the first comprehensive account of Sistani’s legacy and draws on original sources and hundreds of interviews during decades of fieldwork inside Iraq. Jiyad
Observers of Iraq and of Shia power will find God’s Man in Iraq an incomparable appraisal of Sistani’s legacy—and an invaluable guide to the perilous transition that will follow his tenure.
You can learn more and order copies on the book’s homepage. God’s Man in Iraq is also available in Arabic.
Read:
Participants:
Iran in Iraq
Do Elections Help or Hurt Middle-East Democracy?
Bridging the Middle East’s Security Gulf
Honor Killings and Women’s Rights
Iraq’s Militia Problem and A Dangerous Point in Syria
Why We Shouldn’t Expect an Arab NATO
Dealing with Iran and Rebalancing American Interests
Security Architecture in the Middle East
Who Cares About A Faraway Siege?
A Post-American World
Talking with Syrian Exiles
Iraq after the Kurdish referendum
Syria's Next Phase
Press Freedom in Egypt
Hezbollah and Iran's Road
Demythologize ISIS
Join Podbean Ads Marketplace and connect with engaged listeners.
Advertise Today
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Jim & Bill (It‘s Another Day)
HauntingLive
Dr. Paul’s Worldviews
The Ben Shapiro Show
The Tucker Carlson Show