Sistani and his portrayal in the western media

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Wednesday March 22, 2006 00:55 by Paul - . tarbhmaith at imagine dot ie

Is it too much to ask our media for a true in depth analysis

This is just a brilliant analysis on how Sistani is portrayed in western media. As somebody who has been swallowing the western media propaganda on the distinction between Sistani the quietist and the Iranian revolutionary style ayatollahs, this essays blows the supposed difference out of the water. It does make you wonder is the media (outside of a few honourable exceptions) deliberately simplistic or truly ignorant

I have always been somewhat suspicious of the media protrayal of most events but especially of the Iraq war. But occassionally you get a real head wrecker of an analysis that causes you to revaluate all that you have read from supposedly well informed journalists and even bloggers.

This essay traces the role that Sistani has played in the religious lives of Iraqi Shiites. Compares the different stages of Sistani's political involvement with what much of the world's media equates with the "natural" quietism (no political involvement in politics) of the majority of Iraqi shiite ayatollahs. This of course is compared unfavourably with the "extreme" political involvement of many of the Iranian (and Iranian influenced) ayatollahs. When Sistani does get involved there is a tendancy to analyse this as a cynical and even sectarian action.

On the contrary the author Reidar Visser states that Sistani is pursuing a traditional middle way where the Shiite understanding of the "state" takes a central position. His view on the avoidance of paying taxes are particularly interesting.