Sociology of Islam: Leading the Faithful: Religious Authority in the Contemporary Middle East
To cite this publication: Mehran Kamrava, guest ed., “Leading the Faithful: Religious Authority in the Contemporary Middle East,” CIRS Special Issue of Sociology of Islam 6, no. 2 (June 2018).
The post-2011 Middle East has witnessed an increasing politicization of religious authority across the Middle East and among almost all faith communities. Unfolding political and social developments, along with steadily shifting posture and functions of the state vis-à-vis the various religious communities has propelled religious leaders into the role of their communities’ political protectors as well as chief liaisons with state leaders and institutions. Particularly in times of instability and crisis for the community, or even during less chaotic periods of change and transition, the role of religious leaders becomes all the more instrumental in multiple ways. This special issue examines the nature, societal positions, and travails of the Middle East’s various religious communities in the aftermath of the 2011 Arab uprisings, focusing specifically on the role, composition, and functions of their leadership.