Book Description
The Shi'is of Iraq provides a comprehensive history of Iraq's majority group and its turbulent relations with the ruling Sunni minority. Yitzhak Nakash challenges the widely held belief that Shi'i society and politics in Iraq are a reflection of Iranian Shi'ism, pointing to the strong Arab attributes of Iraqi Shi'ism. He contends that behind the power struggle in Iraq between Arab Sunnis and Shi'is there exist two sectarian groups that are quite similar. The tension fueling the sectarian problem between Sunnis and Shi'is is political rather than ethnic or cultural, and it reflects the competition of the two groups over the right to rule and to define the meaning of nationalism in Iraq. A new introduction brings this book into the new century and illuminates the role that Shi`is could play in postwar Iraq.
Customer Reviews:
An Excellent Book.......2003-06-17
To tell you the truth, and as an Iraqi, I was at first suspicious of the author's motives of writing this book. However, from the first page, and through his diligence, well documented and footnoted research, I was immediately convinced that I had a scholarly book on the Shias of Iraq in my hands. At the same time, and for a detailed look at the socio-economic motivation behind Shia involvement in Iraqi politics (large landowners, Sayids, and Chalabis) take a look at Hanna Batatu's incredible "Old Social Classes" (Part I).
The Shi'is of Iraq.......2001-07-17
The title suggests that the much-needed survey of Iraq's Shi`i population is finally at hand. But Nakash's topic is far more specialized, and ultimately more valuable: an historical inquiry into roughly a hundred years' history of the Iraqi Shi`is, from the mid-nineteenth century to 1958. The author reaches two main conclusions, both surprising to an outsider. First, the Iraqi Shi`is are not an antique community, but are "by and large recent converts to Shi`ism, a result of a development which took place mainly during the nineteenth century as the bulk of Iraq's Arab nomadic tribes settled down and took up agriculture." Second, though they belong to the same branch of Twelver Shi`ism as the Shi`a of Iran, they constitute an entirely separate community, with its own structure and outlook. "The diverging development of Shi`i Islam in Iraq and Iran in the twentieth century reflected the essentially different characters of Shi`i religion and society in the two countries." Applying these insights to the Kuwait war, Nakash argues by prompting the failed uprising of March 1991, Iraqi defeat furthered the long-term decline of Shi`is in Iraqi society. He expects this event to shape the consciousness of Iraqi Shi`is for many years to come, though he shies away from predicting just how it will affect future Sunni-Shi`i relations.
Middle East Quarterly, September 1994
Informative book on Shia.......2001-01-10
This book certainly provides considerable information about the Shi'a in Iraq. It also in the background shows the political fight between the ruling nations in the region, Ottomans, Persians and later the British. Most interestingly, you can see the political power games Muctehids played throughout the years to secure their positions and how they have changed sides depending on circumstances. As a religious person I had to take some of the statements about the intentions of the Muchtehids with reservation for further study. There were some statements such as Turkey during their own independence war was trying to occupy Iraq which is news to me but I you learn something everyday. It is very detailed. For someone who is not very familiar with the Iraq's political landscape may get lost in the sea of names and numbers but that also make the book verifible. It basically gives the impression that Shi'is of Iraq do not have a strong identity and has been used by political figures in one way or other also reminds me the Azerbaijanis in Persia, different race same sect, where do you stand.
Well Researched Book.......2000-11-22
The author takes you straight to the subject and sinks deep into details that are rarely found in other books published in the English language. Excellent research with knowledge of culture and tradition that associates with this highly sensitive area. The most important argument made is that Shi'is of Iraq became a majority in the mid 19th century due to the active role of the seminaries in Najaf and Karabala spreading Shiisim Islam among the recently settled Arab tribes.
Book Description
Long oppressed despite their majority status, the Shi'is of Iraq have seen their leaders assassinated or exiled and their rituals debased. But they are a force to be reckoned with, and will play a key role in the reshaping of Iraq. This book is a thorough investigation by one of the foremost experts on the region into the origins and development of Iraqi Shi'ite political activism. Tracing the course of the Shi'is' quest for self-representation, the book shows how their political formation has historically intersected with a variety of religious and geopolitical forces, contending with a series of modern-era strongman regimes culminating in the most violent of them all, the Ba'th rule under Saddam Hussein. Almost alone amongst observers of the region, Faleh A. Jabar greatly enlarges our understanding of Shi'ism in its social, cultural, political and economic dimensions, and underscores the fact that Iraq's Shi'is have never constituted the homogeneous group that political analysts have too often insisted upon. Timely and exhaustively researched, this book offers a perspective on the complexities of the Iraqi situation before and after the fall of Saddam Hussein.
Customer Reviews:
This is a masterpiece work on Iraqi Shiites.......2005-04-22
Faleh Abdul-Jabar's book on Iraqi Shiites is a unique, sophisticated and well-researched work of sociology. The book traces the origins of the formation of political Shiism (Shiites are the second major faction in Islam after main stream Sunnis) in Iraq.
Abdul-Jabbar argues with skill that the evolution of the institutions of this sect was closely tied to the unfolding political events in the region starting with Ottoman Iraq, followed by the period of the formation of the Iraqi nation-state under the Hashemite monarchy toppled in 1958, and ending with the rule of the Baathist regime which lasted until 2003.
Even though this first edition includes an updated introduction covering the role of the Shiites in the Iraqi opposition movement outside of Iraq and the downfall of the Baathist regime, the book was clearly written while the Baathists were still in power. This makes it especially imperative for the author to print an updated second edition with an appendix that highlights the role of the Shiites and their religious leadership in post Baath Iraq.
The book is also an excellent encyclopedic document recording the creation of Iraqi Shiite parties and prominent figures and puting them in their greater Middle Eastern context as it includes brief information on Iranian and Lebanese Shiites. The book, however, leaves the Shiites of Eastern Saudi Arabia and Bahrain in the dark.
The Shiite Movement in Iraq also documents the formation of the first militant Shiite movement the Islamic Daawa Party, which first engaged in theoretical debates with the Iraqi Communists and was later bitterly oppressed by the Baathists. The book also talks about the evolution of the institution of the Marja' (the highest ranking Shiite ayatollah), its centralization and decentralization, its legitimacy and the religious-temporal relations in leading the Shiites. Most importantly, Abdul-Jabbar describes the procession of the Shiite rituals such as Ashura and the Arba'een and traces the origins of the people who sponsor these events and who perform them.
Abdul-Jabar's includes a fortune of names, dates and references to Shiite cultural events. Readers need either to have minimum background information about the Middle East and Shiites or at least read attentively in order to be able to follow up as the book builds up.
This work is a masterpiece and is definitely five stars.
Product Description
Within the Islamic world, the Sunni Muslims are in the majority and wield enormous social and political power but the minority Shiites, an important branch of Islam, remains a visible sect and a political force. Especially, after the Iranian Revolution of 1979, the Shiites emerged as a strong political force within the Islamic world. The Shiite brand of Islamic radicalism emerged in the Middle East as a militant group who directly challenged the west by the act of terrorism and guerrilla warfare. These radicals even threatened the Sunni rulers of the region, most of whom however, are autocratic and despotic. Despite the emergence of the Shiite militancy after the Iranian Revolution, a majority of the Shiites is moderate and wants to live in peace and harmony with others. The war in Iraq has brought the Shiites, into the limelight. The political situation in Iraq will determine the political future of the Shiites in the Middle East. Considering that very little is known about the Shiites in the west, Dr. Mahmood in his book Shiism describes the history of the Shiite religious and political movements, their faith, differences between the Shiite and Sunni doctrine, and their relationship with the Sunni Islam.
Book Description
This innovative study examines patterns of change in Shi'i symbols and rituals over the past two centuries to reveal how modernization has influenced the societal, political, and religious culture of Iran. Shi'is, who support the Prophet Mohammad's progeny as his successors in opposition to the Sunni caliphate tradition, make up 10 to 15 percent of the world's Muslim population, roughly half of whom live in Iran. Throughout the early history of the Islamic Middle East, the Sunnis have been associated with the state and the ruling elite, while Shi'is have most often represented the political opposition and have had broad appeal among the masses. Moharram symbols and rituals commemorate the Battle of Karbala in 680 CE, in which the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hoseyn and most of his family and supporters were massacred by the troops of the Umayyad caliph Yazid.
Moharram symbols and rituals are among the most pervasive and popular aspects of Iranian culture and society. This book traces patterns of continuity and change of Moharran symbols and rituals in three aspects of Iranian life: the importance of these rituals in promoting social bonds, status, identities, and ideals; ways in which the three major successive regimes (Qujars, Pahlavis, and the Islamic Republic), have either used these rituals to promote their legitimacy, or have suppressed them because they viewed them as a potential political threat; and the uses of Moharram symbolism by opposition groups interested in overthrowing the regime.
While the patterns of government patronage have been radically discontinuous over the past two centuries, the roles of these rituals in popular society and culture have been relatively continuous or have evolved independently of the state. The political uses of modern-day rituals and the enduring symbolism of the Karbala narratives continue today.
Customer Reviews:
Karbala Rituals Shia Shiite.......2006-11-29
This book is the premiere comprehensive analysis of how the battlefield death of the Shiite's third Imam Hoseyn/Hussain at Karbala, Iraq, led to the development of Shiite religious rituals that were used by the Shiite imams in influencing their successful dethronment of Iran's Mohammed Reza Shah in late 1978. This book is really about the historical development of Shiite symbols and rituals commemorating the martyrdom of Hoseyn, rather than an expansive history of the 1970s-era of student demonstrations against the shah of Iran. The battle resulting in Hoseyn's martyrdom occurred on 10 October 680 C.E. (Ahsura Moharram 352 A.H.). The author presented two reasons as to why Hoseyn started his ride towards his martyrdom. The author clearly opined that Hoseyn rode towards Damascus to at least upbraid the new Muslim caliph Yazid for being cruel and despotic to his Muslim minions. [Yazid's father, Muawiyah had moved the Muslim government from Mecca to Damascus in 661-662.] This makes Hoseyn's adventure look really unselfish, and even highly moralistic. However, what is obliquely mentioned in the book (on pages 7 and 93), but not as clearly portrayed, is the contention that Hoseyn really rode forth in an armed coup attempt to unseat Yazid. Briefly, when the Muslim prophet Mohammad died, his successors were: (#1) caliph Bakr (Sunni), (#2) caliph Umar/Omar (Sunni), (#3) caliph Uthman/Othman (Sunni), and (#4) caliph Ali (while all Sunni respect Ali has the fourth caliph, as the Shiites regard Ali as the first proper successor to his uncle Mohammad, Ali is the first Shiite imam). As Ali attempted to consolidate his rule, he was opposed by the military-governor of Damascus: General Muawiyah/Moaviyeh (who had been appointed governor of Syria by #2 Sunni caliph Umar in 640). Following the Battle of Saffin, Ali defaulted rule to Moaviyeh, but with the alleged understanding/treaty/deal/agreement that upon Moaviyeh's death, the Islamic caliphcy would return to Ali's clan. Ali's oldest son Hassan/Hasan (the second Shiite imam) was championed by Ali's clan in becoming his successor. However, after realizing that the three previous caliphs had been assassinated while serving as caliph, Hassan apparently wasn't as divinely inspired as his predecessors had been, and decided that he really didn't want to be caliph. Thus, Hassan figuratively resigned and passed the Shiite-caliph baton to his younger brother: Hoseyn/Hussain/Husayn. Recognizing the weakness in Ali, power-hungry Muawiyah of Damascus agreed to become the ruling caliph. Muawiyah, most likely, had the hidden design of eventually turning the caliphcy over to his son Yazid, instead of returning it to the Ali lineage to Ali's grandson Hoseyn. Anyway, upon Muawiyah's death, his son Yazid seized the title of the caliphcy over all Muslims -- and ignored the 'agreement' to return power to Hoseyn. For power is what we are really talking about here; power to control the tax-treasury of the Muslim community. Muslims are required to pay 10% of their annual wealth by an annual tax to the Muslim treasury. Literally watching the coinage of the Muslim treasury slip through their fingers to Yazid, Hoseyn's clan took umbrage with Yazid's seizure of power and urged Hoseyn to travel to Damascus and remind Yazid of his father's 'deal' that Hoseyn was to be recognized as the next rightful caliph. However, as Yazid had no desire of turning the tax-treasury over to Hoseyn, Yazid sent a large army under the command of general Omar ibn Saad to repulse Hoseyn's upcoming 'invasion' of Damascus. When Hoseyn tried to parley with Omar at Karbala, he and most of his small retinue of 80 soldiers were surrounded and killed. While Hoseyn's youngest son Ali Asghar was killed, his older son Zayn al-Abedin (who was ill and incapacitated during the battle), Hoseyn's wife, and a number of other newly minted widows and orphaned children where captured and taken to Yazid. As radio personality Paul Harvey would say: "Now you know the rest of the story" -- and a very important part of it. Part of Hoseyn's motive in talking to Yazid to resign as caliph was most likely due his being repulsed by Yazid's highhandedness, but the clear motive was to restore and secure power for Hoseyn-Ali's lineage in controlling the caliphcy to control the Muslim treasury. This is my one little snit here that I believe the author "short changed" the coup explanation for Hoseyn's journey. Otherwise, Prof. Aghaie superlatively analyzed how the Karbala battle was ritualized into annual public performances (rowzeh khanis) and parades (dasteh) that were later used as rallying demonstrations for the Shiite imams to reassert their political power that the Pahlvai shahs had tried to curtail through their liberal Westoxification of Iran. Also, see the author's related book: "The Women of Karbala: Ritual Performance and Symbolic Discourses in Modern Shi'i Islam."
the place of religion in Shi'i Islam culture.......2004-12-26
The Shi'i branch of Islam makes up only about 15 percent of the religion. But counting for nearly the entire population of Iran and 60 percent of Iraq's, the Shi'i have a crucial influence on Middle East and world affairs from their numbers in these strategically important countries. A professor of Islamic and Iranian history at the U. of Texas-Austin, Aghaie gives a view of Shi'i culture in Iran that is eye-opening and germane for Western readers. Basically, one sees that for the Shi'i there is no clear, or even worthwhile, distinction between religion and other aspects of society, including most significantly government. Whereas such a distinction is a part of the foundation of the U. S. and other democracies, Shi'i culture was founded with the defeat of the Prophet Mohammad's grandson Hoseyn and the massacre of his family by the caliph Yazidin in the 680AD battle of Karbala. Shi'i religious ceremonies, motives for behavior, social purposes, and community goals grew out of this defeat. A special intensity and commitment, as well as sacrifice, was called for so Islam as expressed by Mohammad and his descendants would not be lost. This branch of Islam faith is distinguished from that reflected in the institutional rule of the caliphs came about throughout most of the Middle East. Aghaie's subject is the relationship between Iranian leaders from the Qajars of the 19th and early 20th century through the Shah of Iran to today's Islamic Republic and the symbols and rituals of Shiism. The Shah of Iran was overturned in a revolution because in an effort to modernize Iran, he sought to minimize the symbols and rituals. The work brings an insight into the Shi'i culture that is timely and germane considering current events in Iran and Iraq and U. S. ambitions to institute democracy in this area.
Book Description
The troubled transition to democracy in Iraq has led many to wonder how the country’s Shi’ites and Sunnis will balance their religious beliefs with political pressures. In this volume, historian Juan R. I. Cole explores clerical participation within Iraq's emerging democracy, including that of the Da’wa Party, the al-Sadr Movement, and the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution. Ideal for students and scholars of foreign affairs, Cole’s thought-provoking analysis will be important reading for anyone concerned about the future of Iraq.
Book Description
The shrine cities of Najaf and Karbala in nineteenth-century Ottoman Iraq were the most important Shi'i centers of learning. In the first in-depth study of the period, Meir Litvak explores the social and political dynamics of these communities and the historical development of Shi'i leadership. In this context, the book not only contributes to the historical debates, but also more broadly to an understanding of modern Shi'ism. It will appeal to historians of the Middle East, Islam, and to students of comparative religion.
Customer Reviews:
A Good Effort That Needs Refinement.......1999-09-29
This book presented a good amount of information and showed the hard work that was done by Mr.Litvak. That amount of history and background gave a concise report on that period of Islam. However, some claims that were made showed that reliance on secondary sources, in place of primary documents, is not a wise thing to use in a scholarly work. That reason, along with unbacked personal reflections by the author and other factors, makes it clear that further refinemdnt is needed.
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Mahdis and Millenarians: Shiite Extremists in Early Muslim Iraq
William Tucker
Manufacturer: Cambridge University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0521883849 |
Book Description
Mahdis and Millenarians is a study of early extremist Shiites in Iraq and Iran. These sectarians originated certain doctrines and religious practices that influenced a number of later Shiite religious and political movements. Their millenarian expectations and willingness to use force against perceived enemies gave them a sense of solidarity and coherence that could be effectively mobilized in revolutionary or conflict situations. They should be viewed primarily within the context of world millenarian sectarian movements.
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Reliving Karbala: Martyrdom in South Asian Memory
Syed Akbar Hyder
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 0195189302 |
Book Description
In 680 C.E., a small band of the Prophet Muhammads family and their followers, led by his grandson, Husain, rose up in a rebellion against the ruling caliph, Yazid. The family and its supporters, hopelessly outnumbered, were massacred at Karbala, in modern-day Iraq. The story of Karbala is the cornerstone of institutionalized devotion and mourning for millions of Shii Muslims. Apart from its appeal to the Shii community, invocations of Karbala have also come to govern mystical and reformist discourses in the larger Muslim world. Indeed, Karbala even serves as the archetypal resistance and devotional symbol for many non-Muslims. Until now, though, little scholarly attention has been given to the widespread and varied employment of the Karbala event. In Reliving Karbala, Syed Akbar Hyder examines the myriad ways that the Karbala symbol has provided inspiration in South Asia, home to the worlds largest Muslim population. Rather than a unified reading of Islam, Hyder reveals multiple, sometimes conflicting, understandings of the meaning of Islamic religious symbols like Karbala. He ventures beyond traditional, scriptural interpretations to discuss the ways in which millions of very human adherents express and practice their beliefs. By using a panoramic array of sources, including musical performances, interviews, nationalist drama, and other literary forms, Hyder traces the evolution of this story from its earliest historical origins to the beginning of the twenty-first century. Today, Karbala serves as a celebration of martyrdom, a source of personal and communal identity, and even a tool for political protest and struggle. Hyder explores how issues related to gender, genre, popular culture, class, and migrancy bear on the cultivation of religious symbols. He assesses the manner in which religious language and identities are negotiated across contexts and continents. At a time when words like martyrdom, jihad, and Shiism are being used and misused for political reasons, this book provides much-needed scholarly redress. Through his multifaceted examination of this seminal event in Islamic history, Hyder offers an original, complex, and nuanced view of religious symbols.
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Shi`Ism Imamate & Wilayat
Manufacturer: Al-Ma`arif Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0920675115 |
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The Admissible Dual of Gl (Annals of Mathematics Studies)
Colin J. Bushnell , and
Philip C. Kutzko
Manufacturer: Princeton University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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Group Theory
| Pure Mathematics
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ASIN: 0691032564 |
Book Description
This work gives a full description of a method for analyzing the admissible complex representations of the general linear group G = Gl(N,F) of a non- Archimedean local field F in terms of the structure of these representations when they are restricted to certain compact open subgroups of G. The authors define a family of representations of these compact open subgroups, which they call simple types. The first example of a simple type, the "trivial type," is the trivial character of an Iwahori subgroup of G. The irreducible representations of G containing the trivial simple type are classified by the simple modules over a classical affine Hecke algebra. Via an isomorphism of Hecke algebras, this classification is transferred to the irreducible representations of G containing a given simple type. This leads to a complete classification of the irreduc-ible smooth representations of G, including an explicit description of the supercuspidal representations as induced representations. A special feature of this work is its virtually complete reliance on algebraic methods of a ring-theoretic kind. A full and accessible account of these methods is given here.
Books:
- The Story of the World Volume 2: History for the Classical Child (Story of the World: History for the Classical Child (Audio))
- The Things They Carried
- The Twilight of the Intellectuals: Culture and Politics in the Era of the Cold War
- The Wages of Destruction: The Making and Breaking of the Nazi Economy
- The Wall (Reading Rainbow Book)
- The War of the World: Twentieth-Century Conflict and the Descent of the West
- The Western Heritage, Vol. 2: Since 1648, Eighth Edition
- Trail of Tears
- Unburnable: A Novel
- What Life Was Like in the Lands of the Prophet: Islamic World, Ad 570-1405 (What Life Was Like)
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