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52-614: Prior to his assassination in August 2003, SCIRI was led by Ayatollah Mohammed Baqir al-Hakim ; afterwards it was led by the Ayatollah's brother, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim . After Abdul Aziz al-Hakim's death in 2009 his son Ammar al-Hakim became the group's new leader. In light of its gains in the three 2005 elections and government appointments, the Supreme Iraqi Islamic Council became one of Iraq's most powerful political parties and

104-783: A 2005 report by journalist Doug Ireland, the Badr Organization has been involved in many incidents of attacking and killing gays in Iraq. According to the British television Channel 4, from 2005 through early 2006, SIIC's Badr Organization members working as commandos in the Ministry of the Interior (which Badr controls) "have been implicated in rounding up and killing thousands of ordinary Sunni civilians." Ideologically SIIC differs from Muqtada al-Sadr and its sometime ally Islamic Dawa Party , in favoring

156-635: A 2006 report by the Independent newspaper: 'Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was "acting as a rogue element within the government". It is controlled by the main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr, is a former leader of Sciri's Badr Brigade militia, which is one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another

208-683: A coalition in Iraq's parliament. After the departure of Badr Brigade, ISCI created a new militia called the Knights of Hope  [ ar ] . Supreme Council of the Islamic Revolution of Iraq was founded in Iran in 1982 during the Iran–Iraq War after the leading Islamist insurgent group, Islamic Dawa Party , was severely weakened by an Iraqi government crackdown following Dawa's unsuccessful attempt to assassinate Iraqi president Saddam Hussein . SCIRI

260-567: A decentralized Iraq state with an autonomous Shia zone in the south. During the 2009 Iraqi governorate elections ISCI ran under the name al-Mehrab Martyr List , the ISCI did not perform as well as they hoped to, winning 6.6% of vote and 52 out of 440 seats. They did however come second in the election. In a BBC interview in London, Ghazi al-Yawar the Sunni Arab sheik, cited reports that Iran sent close to

312-571: A house that previously belonged to Ba'athist Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz . Its leader, Ayatollah al-Hakim, was killed in a car bomb attack in the Iraqi city of Najaf on August 29, 2003. The car bomb exploded as the ayatollah was leaving a religious shrine ( Imam Ali Mosque ) in the city, just after Friday prayers , killing more than 85. According to Kurdish Intelligence officials, Yassin Jarad, allegedly Abu Musab al-Zarqawi 's father-in-law, carried out

364-401: A million people to Iraq and covertly supplied Shia religious groups with money to help compete in the elections. But U.S. and Iraqi officials say that many of the migrants crossing the largely unmonitored border are Iraqi Shia families who fled Saddam Hussein's repression, particularly after the failed Shia uprising that followed the 1991 Gulf war. The Council was formerly known as SCIRI, but in

416-484: A new title, Ayatollah al-Uzma ( lit.   ' Great Sign of God ' ). Originally, about half a dozen people were addressed as al-Uzma, but as of 2015, the number of people who claimed that title was reportedly over 50. Another post- revolutionary change in what makes an ayatollah has been the falling away (at least in many important situations), of purely religious credentials and informal acclamation, and its replacement by political criteria. Ali Khamenei —who

468-412: A significant following and they are recognized for religiously correct views, they are considered a Marja'-e-Taqlid , which in common parlance is "grand ayatollah". Usually as a prelude to such status, a mujtahid is asked to publish a juristic treatise in which he answers questions about the application of Islam to present-time daily affairs. Risalah is the word for treatise, and such a juristic work

520-622: A statement released May 11, 2007 SCIRI officials told Reuters the Islamist party would change its name to reflect what they called the changing situation in Iraq, removing the word "Revolution" because that was seen as a reference to overthrowing the Ba'athist government. "Our name will change to the Supreme Islamic Iraqi Council. Other things will change as well," said the SCIRI official. Expressing

572-574: Is alleged to receive money and weapons from Iran, and is often accused of being a proxy for Iranian interests. The party leaders have toned down many of the party's public positions and committed it to democracy and peaceful cooperation. SCIRI's power base is in the Shia-majority southern Iraq. The council's armed wing, the Badr Organization , reportedly has had an estimated strength of between 4,000 and 10,000 men. Its Baghdad offices are based in

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624-415: Is an honorific title for high-ranking Twelver Shia clergy . In Iran , it came into widespread usage in the 20th century. Originally used as a title bestowed by popular/clerical acclaim for a small number of the most distinguished marja' at-taqlid mujtahid , it suffered from "inflation" following the 1979 Iranian Revolution when it came to be used for "any established mujtahid". By 2015 it

676-506: Is called a risalah-yi'amaliyyah or "practical law treatise", and it is usually a reinvention of the book Al-Urwatu l-Wuthqah . A Grand Ayatollah is often seen as a spiritual guide and mentor to millions of Shia Muslims. Their influence extends beyond the mosque and into the social and political arenas. Unlike many religious leaders of other religions, a grand ayatollah is often involved in state affairs, especially in countries with large Shia populations such as Iran, Iraq, and Lebanon. In

728-447: Is presumably a particular reference to the verse 41:53 "We shall show them Our signs on the horizons and in their own selves", while it has been also used to refer to The Twelve Imams by Shias. Variants used are ʾāyatu llāhi fī l-ʾanʿām ( Arabic : آية الله في الأنعام , lit.   'Sign of God among mankind'), ʾāyatu llāhi fī l-ʿālamayn ( Arabic : آية الله في العالمَین , lit.   'Sign of God in

780-680: Is the Mehdi Army of the young cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who is part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning the mid-December election. Many of the 110,000 policemen and police commandos under the ministry's control are suspected of being former members of the Badr Brigade. Not only counter-insurgency units such as the Wolf Brigade, the Scorpions and the Tigers, but the commandos and even

832-533: Is widely regarded as one of the most pro-Iranian parties in Iraq. SIIC's support is strongest in Iraq's south especially Basra , where it has been said to have become "the de facto government." It joined the United Iraqi Alliance list for the general election on January 30, 2005 (see Iraqi legislative election, 2005 ), but filed separate lists in some governorate council elections held on the same day (see for instance 2005 Nineveh governorate election ). In

884-631: The 2003 invasion of Iraq . This historical intersection is significant because al-Dawa was widely viewed as a terrorist group during the Iran–Iraq War. In February 2007, journalists reported that Jamal Jaafar Muhammed, who was elected to the Iraqi parliament in 2005 as part of the SCIRI/Badr faction of the United Iraqi Alliance, was also sentenced to death in Kuwait for planning the al-Dawa bombings of

936-559: The Badr Brigades or Badr Corps , is an Iraqi Shia Islamist and Khomeinist political party and paramilitary organization headed by Hadi al-Amiri . The Badr Brigade, formed in 1982 and led by Iranian officers, served as the military arm of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI), a Shia Islamic party based in Iran. The Badr Brigade was created by Iranian intelligence and Shia cleric Mohammad Baqir al-Hakim with

988-472: The Iran–Iraq War . The group was armed and directed by Iran. They briefly returned to Iraq in 1991 during the 1991 Iraqi uprising to fight against Saddam Hussein, focusing on the Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala . They retreated into Iran after the uprising was crushed. In 1995, during the Kurdish Civil War , Iran deployed 5,000 Badr fighters to Iraqi Kurdistan. Returning to Iraq following

1040-491: The Islamic Republic , four levels of studies were introduced and those clerics who end the fourth level, also known as Dars-e-Kharej ( lit.   ' beyond the text ' ) and pass the final exam, were called Ayatollahs. Moojan Momen wrote in 2015 that every cleric who finished his training calls himself an Ayatollah and this trend has led to emergence of "thousands of Ayatollahs". This inflation led to invention of

1092-687: The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in Iraq. It is a part of the Popular Mobilization Forces . The organization was formed in Iran in 1982 as the military wing of the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq . It was based in Iran for two decades during the rule of Saddam Hussein and led by Iranian officers. It consisted of several thousand Iraqi exiles, refugees, and Iraqi Army defectors who fought alongside Iranian troops in

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1144-578: The 2003 US-led invasion, the group changed its name from brigade to organization in response to the attempted voluntary disarming of Iraqi militias by the Coalition Provisional Authority . It is however widely believed the organization is still active as a militia within the security forces and it has been accused of running a secret prison and sectarian killings during the Iraqi Civil War . Because of their opposition to Saddam Hussein,

1196-537: The Badr Brigade was seen as a U.S. asset in the fight against Baathist partisans. After the fall of Baghdad , Badr forces reportedly joined the newly reconstituted army, police, and the Interior Ministry in significant numbers. The Interior Ministry was controlled by SCIRI, and many Badr members became part of the Interior Ministry-run Wolf Brigade . The Iraqi Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr ,

1248-695: The Badr Organization mobilized and won a series of battles against ISIL, including the Liberation of Jurf Al Sakhr and the Lifting of the Siege of Amirli . In early February 2015, the group, operating from its base at Camp Ashraf , fought in Diyala Governorate against ISIL. Over 100 militia were killed in the fighting, including 25 in Al Mansouryah . Badr's leader, Hadi al-Amiri , said his militiamen were committed to

1300-560: The Badr Organization). The German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP) recognized a rise in the Shiite Badr organization since 2014 under the leadership of its Secretary General Hadi al-Amiri. In 2017, SWP wrote that the Badr organization is one of "the most important actors in Iraqi politics". It has become the most important instrument of Iranian politics in Iraq. Its aim

1352-525: The French and American embassies in that country in 1983. With the fall of Saddam Hussein after the invasion of Iraq, SCIRI quickly rose to prominence in Iraq, working closely with the other Shia parties. It gained popularity among Shia Iraqis by providing social services and humanitarian aid, following the pattern of Islamic organizations in other countries such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood . SCIRI

1404-565: The January 2005 election it won six out of eight Shia-majority governorates and came in first in Baghdad with 40% of the vote. Following the election SIIC had many members hired by various government ministries, particularly the Interior Ministry, "ensuring a favorable position for" it. Its administration in Southern Iraq has been criticized as corrupt and as "theocracy mixed with thuggery" According to

1456-569: The West, particularly the United States , the term "Ayatollah" may be used as a pejorative to describe religious fundamentalism. Sam Miller of London Review of Books states that following the Iranian Revolution, "ayatollah" became common use; Miller described the pejorative version of the term as "[evoking] evokes an old, turbaned, bearded man, sitting in judgment, looking like a crow and ordering

1508-538: The aim of fighting the Ba'athist regime of Saddam Hussein during the Iran–Iraq War . Since the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq , most of the Badr Brigade fighters have entered the new Iraqi army and police force. Since 2003, the Badr Brigade and SCIRI were considered to be one party, but have recently unofficially separated with the Badr Organization now being an official Iraqi political party. Badr Brigade forces, and their Iranian commanders, have come to prominence in 2014 fighting

1560-551: The car bombing. In the Shia Islamist–dominated government in post-invasion Iraq, SCIRI controlled the Interior Ministry. The Iraqi Interior Minister, Bayan Jabr , was a former leader of SCIRI's Badr Brigade militia. In 2006 the United Nations human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace, said that every month hundreds of Iraqis were being tortured to death or executed by the Interior Ministry under SCIRI's control. According to

1612-484: The council's rejection of the "concept of a civil or sectarian war," the statement accused terrorists, extremists and supporters of Takfiri (accusing someone of unbelief) of causing bloodshed in Iraq. Ayatollah Ayatollah ( UK : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t ɒ l ə / , also US : / ˌ aɪ ə ˈ t oʊ l ə / ; Arabic : اية الله , romanized :  ʾāyatu llāh ; Persian : آیت‌الله , romanized :  âyatollâh [ɒːjjætˌolˈlɒːh] )

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1664-525: The execution of the impure." However, the term is generally used to describe any kind of fundamentalism, not just Islamism. For example, in the United States, former jurist and lawyer Roy Moore has been called the "Ayatollah of Alabama" by his critics due to espousing Christian nationalism , opposition to secularism , and far-right politics. Badr Organization The Badr Organization ( Arabic : منظمة بدر Munaẓẓama Badr ), previously known as

1716-451: The highway patrol police have been accused of acting as death squads. The paramilitary commandos, dressed in garish camouflage uniforms and driving around in pick-up trucks, are dreaded in Sunni neighbourhoods. People whom they have openly arrested have frequently been found dead several days later, with their bodies bearing obvious marks of torture.' SIIC is a Shia Islamist political party that

1768-435: The ideologies of Iran's Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini that Islamic Government must be controlled by the ulema (Islamic scholars). Al-Dawa, on the other hand, follows the position of Iraq's late Ayatollah Mohammad Baqir al-Sadr , and al-Dawa co-founder, that government should be controlled by the ummah (Muslim community as a whole). Despite this ideological disagreement, several of SCIRI's factions came from al-Dawa before

1820-457: The main Shia party, the Supreme Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq (Sciri); the Interior Minister, Baqir Jabr al-Zubeidi , is a former leader of SCIRI's Badr Brigade militia, which was one of the main groups accused of carrying out sectarian killings. Another was the Mahdi Army of the young cleric Muqtada al-Sadr , who is now part of the Shia coalition seeking to form a government after winning

1872-413: The mid to late 20th century. Only the titles 'jurisconsult' ( faqih ) and 'model for imitation' ( marja' al-taqlid ) had fixed meaning. Otherwise titles ... really expressed the informal consensus of mullahs as to the degree of deference they wished to show one another. A teacher in madreseh might be greatly offended if a letter from a layman failed to call him 'ayatollah', but he would vigorously reject

1924-752: The mid-December election. Many of the 110,000 policemen and police commandos under the ministry's control are suspected of being former members of the Badr Brigade. Not only counterinsurgency units such as the Wolf Brigade, the Scorpions, and the Tigers, but the commandos and even the highway patrol police were accused of acting as death squads during this period over a decade ago. The paramilitary commandos, dressed in garish camouflage uniforms and driving around in pick-up trucks, were dreaded in Sunni neighbourhoods. People arrested by them during this period were frequently found dead several days later with their bodies bearing obvious marks of torture." Following ISIL 's successful Anbar campaign and June 2014 offensive ,

1976-461: The number of individuals who call themselves an Ayatollah dramatically. An unwritten rule of addressing for Shia clerics has been developed after the 1980s as a result of Iranian Revolution, despite the fact no official institutional way of conferring titles is available. At first the title that had been reserved for a Marja', was gradually applied to an established Mujtahid. With the post-revolutionary bureaucratization of Shia seminaries under

2028-473: The rulers were downgraded by not being addressed as an Ayatollah. The earliest known address of this title is for Ibn Mutahhar Al-Hilli (died 1374), however it was not in use as a title for those qualifying until the 20th century. Glassé states that following domination of Twelver branch by followers of Usuli school and demise of Akhbari school, the title was popularized by Usuli s as an attempt to promote their status. Mirza Ali Aqa Tabrizi

2080-439: The safety of Sunnis , but deep mutual suspicions remained in the light of recent sectarian killings and the suspicion that some Sunni tribes were allied with IS. A leaked US diplomatic cable cited sources alleging that Hadi al-Amiri personally ordered attacks on Sunnis. The Badr Corps consists of infantry, armor, artillery, anti-aircraft, and commando units with an estimated strength of between 10,000 and 50,000 men (according to

2132-404: The title Ayatollah was awarded by popular usage only to the very few highest ranking, prominent Mujtahid . Qualifications included Consequently, by the 1960s a cleric addressed as an Ayatollah was expected to be a Marja' . The title of Ayatollah (and other Iranian Shi'i titles) has been "cheapened" since then. Roy Mottahedeh describes how the title of ayatollah was determined in

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2184-483: The title if addressed as an ayatollah in public - vigorously, that is, until he sensed that other mullahs of his level would tolerate hearing him so addressed, at which point he would quietly let his students impose the title on him. According to Michael M. J. Fischer , the Iranian Revolution led to "rapid inflation of religious titles", so that almost every senior cleric began to be called an Ayatollah. raising

2236-417: The two worlds', dual form ) or fī l-ʿālamīn ( Arabic : في العالمین , lit.   'in the worlds', plural form ) and ʾāyatu llāhi fī l-warā ( Arabic : آية الله في الورى , lit.   'Sign of God among mortals'). Though no formal hierarchical structure exists among Shia clerics, a "hierarchy of difference" can be elaborated to describe the situation. Traditionally,

2288-411: Was a former leader of Badr Brigade militia. In 2006 the United Nations human rights chief in Iraq, John Pace, said that hundreds of Iraqis were being tortured to death or executed by the Interior Ministry under SCIRI's control. According to a 2006 report by the Independent newspaper: "Mr Pace said the Ministry of the Interior was 'acting as a rogue element within the government'. It was controlled by

2340-534: Was addressed with mid-level title of Hujjat al-Islam when he was in office as President of Iran —was bestowed the title Ayatollah immediately after he was elected Supreme Leader of Iran in 1989, without meeting regular unwritten criteria (such as authoring a Risalah ). Since the 2010s, sources under government control tend to give him more distinguished titles like Grand Ayatollah and Imam . Certain clerics, such as Mohammad Kazem Shariatmadari and Hussein-Ali Montazeri , who had fallen out of favor with

2392-520: Was an "indirect result of the reform and strengthening of the religious institution in Qom ". Abdul-Karim Haeri Yazdi (1859–1937) who founded Qom Seminary , may be the first to bear the title according to Algar. While the title Ayatollah was sporadically used during the 1930s, it became widespread in the 1940s. Only a few of the most important ayatollahs are accorded the rank of Grand Ayatollah ( Ayatollah Uzma , "Great Sign of God"). When an ayatollah gains

2444-587: Was further expanded to include any student who had passed their Mujtahid final exam, leading to "thousands" of Ayatollahs. The title is not used by the Sunni community of Iran, nor by Shias in Lebanon , Pakistan , or India . In Iraq , the title is not unknown, but is only used for clerics of Iranian origin. In the Western world – especially after the Iranian Revolution – it was associated with Ruhollah Khomeini , who

2496-494: Was so well known as to often be referred to as "The Ayatollah". The title is originally derived from Arabic word Āyah pre-modified with the definite article al and post-modified with the word Allah , making ʾāyatu llāh ( Arabic : آية الله ). The combination has been translated to English as 'Sign of God', 'Divine Sign' or 'Reflection of God'. It is a frequently-used term in Quran , but its usage in this context

2548-594: Was the first one to use the term Ayatullah for the sources of emulation in Najaf, especially Akhund Khurasani (1839–1911), to distinguish them from the clerics of lower rank in Tehran, during the 1905-1911 Persian Constitutional Revolution . ( Mirza Sayyed Mohammad Tabatabai and Seyyed Abdollah Behbahani were also given that honorific by constitutionalists according to Loghatnameh Dehkhoda .) Hamid Algar maintains that this title entered general usage possibly because it

2600-581: Was the largest party in the Iraqi Council of Representatives until the 2010 Iraqi elections , where it lost support due to Nuri Al-Maliki 's political party rise. Previously, ISCI's militia wing was the Badr Brigade , which the party used during the Iraqi civil war of 2006–2007. After the civil war, the Badr Brigade turned into a political force on its own and left ISCI, although the two continue to be part of

2652-420: Was the son of Ayatollah Mohsen-Hakim and a member of one of the leading Shia clerical families in Iraq. "He declared the primary aim of the council to be the overthrow of the Ba'ath and the establishment of an Islamic government in Iraq. Iranian officials referred to Hakim as the leader of Iraq's future Islamic state ..." However, there are crucial ideological differences between SCIRI and al-Dawa. SCIRI supports

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2704-646: Was the umbrella body for two Iran-based Shia Islamist groups, Dawa and the Islamic Action Organisation led by Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi . Another of SCIRI's founders was Ayatollah Hadi al-Modarresi , the leader the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain . The Iranian Islamic revolutionary government arranged for the formation of SCIRI, which was based in exile in Tehran and under the leadership of Mohammad-Baqir al-Hakim. Hakim, living in exile in Iran,

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