NECESSARY MESSIANISM:

Democratic Iraq Still on Track: Shi'ite Islam, less doctrinally rigid than its Sunni counterpart, provides the best opportunity to establish Iraqi democracy. (Joel Mowbray, 4/14/04, FrontPage)

Whenever the issue of Shi’ites and democracy arises, Iran is inevitably discussed. But despite the appearance of a democratic government—holding elections every few years that are 90% fixed by the ruling mullahs—Iran is run by a highly unpopular handful of tyrants. In fact, if an honest election were held in Iran tomorrow—particularly among the 70% of the population under age 25—George W. Bush would beat the reigning mullahs in a landslide.

The tyrants in Tehran do have roots in Shi’ite tradition, but only in a tiny sect of the religion. The vast majority of Iranian clerics, in fact, despise the despots in power, though fear ensures their silence. The Iranian mullahs no more represent Shi’ite Islam than the Ku Klux Klan does Christianity.

Shi’ite Islam is less doctrinally rigid than its Sunni counterpart, meaning it is more open to incorporating things like science and new ideas, including the concept of secular democracy.

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, the most recognizable and respected Shi’ite leader in Iraq, firmly believes in the separation of mosque and state. His belief is also held by mainstream Shi’ite Islam, which believes in the separation until the twelfth imam—who disappeared in the year 873—reappears as the rightful ruler. As he helps push Iraq towards free elections, Sistani is adamantly refusing to place himself in a leadership position in the new power structure—something he could easily achieve if he so desired.