The Modern State, Secularization, and Religious Authority in Iraq

This chapter examines the historical formation and transformation of Shiʿi religious authority (Marjiʿyya) in Iraq, situating it within broader processes of state formation, secularization, and modernization. It traces the evolution of the Marjiʿyya from its emergence in the eighteenth century through the rise of the Uṣūlī school, the institutionalization of emulation ( taqlid ), and the establishment of the Grand Marjaʿ as both a spiritual and sociopolitical figure. Through a detailed historical narrative, the chapter explores how Shiʿi clerics adapted to shifting political contexts – from Ottoman decentralization and the Safavid collapse to British occupation, the creation of the Iraqi nation-state, and the secularizing policies of successive regimes. It also highlights the tension between clerical authority and the modern state, particularly under nationalist and authoritarian governments, culminating in the Baʿthist era’s efforts to suppress and control the Hawza.