http://www.foreignpolicy.com/story/cms.php?story_id=3529
The List: Clerics of Consequence
of 1
Posted July 17, 2006
In mosques from Cairo to Jakarta, influential Muslim clerics shape the
opinions of the faithful. Their edicts can make or break governments, drive
markets, and even incite violence. In this week's List, FP presents a guide to
some of Islam's leading holy men.
Grand Mufti Sheik Abdul Aziz bin al-Sheik, 63
Preaches from: Saudi Arabia
Sect: Sunni
Influence: A powerful conservative close to the Saudi regime, Abdul Aziz
al-Sheik publicly chastised women attending an economic conference in Jeddah in
2004 for being uncovered. He has warned hajj pilgrims not to allow outsiders to
divide Muslims, but he has also cautioned that Islam's greatest affliction is
propagated by "its own sons, who [are] lured by the devil [to attack
innocents]."
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Abu Bakar Bashir, 67
Preaches from: Indonesia
Sect: Sunni
Influence: Bashir emerged in 2002 as a key figure associated with Jemaah
Islamiyah, an al Qaeda-affiliated militant group. Although his rhetoric is
virulently anti-Western, he calls himself a "simple preacher." He was released
from jail in June after serving two years for conspiracy in connection with the
2002 Bali bombing that killed more than 200 people.
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Sheik Mohammed Hussein Fadlallah, 70
Preaches from: Lebanon
Sect: Shia
Influence: Lebanon's foremost Shia scholar, Fadlallah was considered
Hezbollah's spiritual leader in the 1980s but has long distanced himself from
the group. Still, Israel's recent strikes on the country have outraged him, and
he has openly praised Hezbollah's attacks against Israel. He has also taken the
United States and Europe to task for refusing to deal with Hamas and criticized
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for casting doubt on the loyalty of Shiites.
For his part, Fadlallah has angered hard-line clerics in Iran for his efforts
to restrain Iran's influence in the region.
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Grand Ayatollah Hossein Ali Montazeri, 84
Preaches from: Iran
Sect: Shia
Influence: A founding father of Iran's Islamic revolution, Montazeri has
become more moderate in recent years and is now the leading critic of Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Montazeri has called for closer U.S. relations
and more democracy in Iran. The regime kept him under house arrest for more
than five years, but Montazeri retains a strong following among reform-minded
Iranians.
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Sheik Yusuf al-Qaradawi, 79
Preaches from: Qatar
Sect: Sunni
Influence: Qaradawi reaches millions around the world through his popular
show on Al Jazeera, Sharia and Life, in which he tackles such controversial
topics as Arab reform, jihad, and homosexuality. He is considered a progressive
on many social issues, but he became persona non grata in the United States
after endorsing the Iraqi insurgency and suicide bombers in Israel.
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Moktada al-Sadr, 32
Preaches from: Iraq
Sect: Shia
Influence: The son of revered Shiite cleric Ayatollah Muhammad Sadiq
al-Sadr, Moktada emerged early in the U.S. occupation of Iraq as an aggressive
and ambitious religious and political figure. Forces loyal to him battled
openly with U.S. troops for several months but have now settled into a tense
coexistence with both foreign forces and those loyal to al-Sadr's older and
more established rival, Ali al Sistani.
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Grand Ayatollah Ali al Sistani, 75
Preaches from: Iraq
Sect: Shia
Influence: As the leading Shia cleric in his country, Sistani is a
kingmaker in Iraq's turbulent political scene. He reportedly favors an Islamic
state, but one more moderate than the Iranian variety. Reclusive and in poor
health, Sistani has had to fend off a challenge for power from young firebrand
Moktada al-Sadr.
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Grand Sheikh Muhammad Sayed Tantawi, 77
Preaches from: Egypt
Sect: Sunni
Influence: Tantawi's position as grand sheikh of Cairo's Al-Azhar Mosque
and head of its renowned university makes him a leading figure in Sunni Islam.
Recently, he made waves by endorsing the headscarf ban in France, condemning
suicide bombings, and declaring that "extremism is the enemy of Islam." Critics
suggest that he is in the service of the Egyptian regime.
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