Podcasts Other The Compass Islam, People and Power: The Shia

Islam, People and Power: The Shia

Published: Dec. 8, 2016, 2:10 a.m.

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Within Shi\\u2019ism there is a high level disagreement about the role of Islam in government. Shia-dominated Iran is an Islamic republic, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior Islamic cleric. But the Iranian model of government - a theocratic state - is not supported by Shi\\u2019ism\\u2019s most senior Islamic cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani who is based in the Iraqi city of Najaf. \\n\\u201cKhamenei is the head of Iranian army. Sistani is not the head of Iraqi army,\\u201d explains Iraqi politician Walid al-Hilli. But, as presenter Safa al-Ahmad discovers on a visit to Iraq, Grand Ayatollah Sistani has significant influence on the way Iraq is governed.

(Photo: A V-sign for victory is flashed in front of a portrait of Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani. Credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/AFP/Getty Images)

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