Saturday, June 14, 2014

Why Ayatollah Al-Sistani's Iraq Fatwa Is So Important

Why Ayatollah Al-Sistani's Iraq Fatwa Is So Important

The Iranian-born cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Iraq’s most influential religious leader, has issued a fatwa to “all able-bodied Iraqis” to defend the country, days after the radical Sunni Islamist group ISIS captured the city of Mosul and advanced south toward Baghdad, the capital. 

Sistani, a Shia who worships in the holy city of Najaf, is considered one of Iraq’s most respected leaders. His fatwa, or religious ruling, is expected to galvanize a significant movement from within Iraq’s majority-Shia population. Al-Sistani is, after all, the most influential voice for Iraq's estimated 20 million Shia faithful.

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