{"product_id":"patriotic-ayatollahs-caroleen-marji-sayej-9781501715211","title":"Patriotic Ayatollahs: Nationalism in Post-Saddam Iraq","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatriotic Ayatollahs\u003c\/i\u003e explores the contributions of senior clerics in state and nation-building after the 2003 Iraq war. Caroleen Sayej suggests that the four so-called Grand Ayatollahs, the highest-ranking clerics of Iraqi Shiism, took on a new and unexpected political role after the fall of Saddam Hussein.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDrawing on previously unexamined Arabic-language fatwas, speeches, and communiqu駸 of Iraq's four grand ayatollahs, this book analyzes how their new pronouncements and narratives shaped public debates after 2003. Sayej argues that, contrary to standard narratives about religious actors, the Grand Ayatollahs were among the most progressive voices in the new Iraqi nation. She traces the transformative position of Ayatollah Sistani as the \"guardian of democracy\" after 2003. Sistani was, in particular, instrumental in derailing American plans that would have excluded Iraqis from the state-building process--a remarkable story in which an octogenarian cleric takes on the United States over the meaning of democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003ePatriotic Ayatollahs\u003c\/i\u003e' counter-conventional argument about the ayatollahs' vision of a nonsectarian nation is neatly realized. Through her deep knowledge and long-term engagement with Iraqi politics, Sayej advances our understanding of how the post-Saddam Iraqi nation was built.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Caroleen Marji Sayej\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1501715216\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781501715211\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Cornell University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 04\/15\/2018\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 240\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.12lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.00h x 6.00w x 0.69d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eChoice\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/2018","brand":"Caroleen Marji Sayej","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43935202115839,"sku":"9781501715211","price":46.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/products\/img_22ca18a1-1ee3-477d-b38b-fbd5916d16d5.jpg?v=1681418449","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/patriotic-ayatollahs-caroleen-marji-sayej-9781501715211","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}