IRNA reports in Persian that hardline cleric, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi, visited Iraq this week.
Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi is one of the most influential clerical leaders in Iran and occupies a powerful position in the Qom seminary. While his visit has gained little coverage elsewhere, Iran is publicizing it as symbol of Iran's growing influence in Iraq.
Though little information was released about his trip, the article highlights Mesbah-Yazdi's meeting with Grand Ayatollah Sistani in Najaf. Sistani has met with Iranian political leaders before (such as Tehran's mayor Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf), but a meeting with Mesbah-Yazdi is intriguing. The two religious leaders differ greatly in their political and religious views, particularly on the issue of clerical involvement in government. Further, Mesbah-Yazdi is tightly connected to the Ahmadinejad regime and the hardline principlist camp.
This makes his visit a tad more significant given Iran's increasing (political, economic, religious, and cultural) presence in southern Iraq and its interests in the Najaf seminary (which Sistani heads). Without any details, not much can be said about the meeting. Yet with Sistani's influence waning in Iraq and Iran's on the rise, the meeting between the two clerics is an interesting (but perhaps minor) development.
[Hardline clerical leader, Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi]
2 comments:
Mesbah-Yazdi is known for his expectation of the soon-coming of the Mahdi. It would be very helpful to know whether the Mahdaviat came up as a topic. Tempo of expectation can be a significant driver...
Sistani, at least from what I have read, has been pretty mum on the Mahdi's return (other than the standard expectations, etc.). I would guess, with little proof, that this is one of the several areas that Sistani and Mesbah-Yazdi have different interpretations. Although it's impossible to know, I'm assuming Mesbah-Yazdi's visit served two objectives: 1) Paying respect to Sistani as the senior Marja al-taqlid in Iraq; and 2) acting as a political emissary for the hardline regime.
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