The Hawza of Najaf

Abstract

Abstract

Under Saddam Hussein the Shi’ites of Iraq lived a sad story; they were politically suppressed and killed in cold blood. After the creation of the Iraqi state they lived as if they were a minority without any rights. Perhaps the main responsible factor was the hawza - the Shi’ite religious leadership - and its interpretation of religion and politics. Senior religious scholars in the hawza sought to isolate Shi’ite from state affairs in the belief that during the Great Occulation of the Twelfth Imam no one could fill the political leadership except the Imam. Therefore, establishing an Islamic state was religiously wrong. Furthermore, involvement in politics was considered as supporting the enemies of the Imam. The clerics and the Islamists who believed in politics were not supported and were left to their bloody destiny. This study seeks to provide a detailed explanation of how the hawza was one of the reasons behind the tragic story of the Shi’ites of Iraq. In addressing this task, an analysis of the political thinking of the Shi’ite is provided in chapter one, before examining the hawza of Najaf in chapter two, in particular its historical background and its political role up to 1920s. Chapter three deals with the role of the hawza from 1958 until 2003, in particular the leadership of Ayatollah Al-Hakeem, Ayatollah Ko’i and Ayatollah Sistani. Chapter four outlines the new role that the hawza has played after the fall of Saddam’s regime and the main obstacles it faces.