"In a number of different settings I have recently heard the opinion voiced that Ithna'ashari ) Twelver) Shia 'Ulema (scholars) have traditionally chosen to hold themselves apart from political power in whatever state they have inhabited and that they believe in something akin to the Western notion of a proper separation of church and state. Usually, the same speaker or writer will accompany this with a description of the late Ayatollah Khomeini as a "heretic" for holding a different view of this matter. I find these positions to be inadequate in both statements for two broad reasons:"
The issue of Shia clerics and political ambitions never seem to leave us, and so I have decided to publish here an old essay of mine on the subject.
Pat Lang
Thank you, thanks a lot for this piece.
Very interesting and complex, just like the buddist, christian and jewish religious development.
There seem to be some openings for development. Can you suggest some further reads?
Posted by: b | 02 November 2005 at 03:27 PM
Moon,
I have a piece on Wahhabism that I put will now put on.
I am old and so the old books on Islam seem best to me.
If you are near a university library I would get access to the "Encyclopedia of Islam" published by Brill in Holland. (This is also available in CD for from Brill) A book invaluable to me is the oldie (The Social Structure of Islam" by Reuben Levy. I will think of more.
Pat
Posted by: | 02 November 2005 at 05:15 PM