THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA AND ITS REGIONAL EFFECTS

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12 n THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA Whatever the granularities of “moderate rebel” and jihadist infighting, as of late 2014, ISIS and Jabhat al-Nusra have come to dominate news coverage regarding Sunni rebels in Syria and Iraq. Their battlefield successes have effectively caused the Iranian and Assad messaging strategy to appear more like a self-fulfilling prophecy than an advanced operation to alter narratives about the rebels. That advanced messaging operation, encompassing Iran and its proxies, appears to have been masterfully executed.
3 Call to Jihad: Clerical Views of the Shiite Jihad in Syria THE SHIITE JIHAD in Syria did not manifest itself in a theological or ideological vacuum. Historically, Shiite clerics are often the main figures pushing their coreligionists to fight in a jihad and legitimizing their martyrdom. 81 For the conflict in Syria, the call to jihad traversed a direct ideological path, set forth by clerics following Iran’s ideology of velayat-e faqih. Looking at the clerics who have encouraged the Shiite jihad in Syria is just as important as focusing on the actual groups involved in combat. If one trend is slightly clearer, it is that both the traditional clerics of Najaf, Iraq, and radicals like Muqtada al-Sadr (also of Iraq) did not fully support the campaign and that efforts to rally Shiite fighters to join the war were mainly driven by Iranbacked clerical circles. Khamenei’s Blessing, Sistani’s Opposition The Najaf-based Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the world’s most influential Shiite clerics, was initially mum on whether Shiite fighters— particularly those originating in Iraq—should go to Syria. Even days before Hassan Nasrallah’s May 2013 public announcement of Hezbollah’s involvement in the Syrian war, Sistani continued to refuse to issue a fatwa supporting a Shiite jihad in Syria. 82 It was later reported that senior Najafbased clerics around Sistani considered Shiites traveling to fight in Syria as “disobedient.” 83 Despite Sistani’s ambivalence, the Iranians have attempted to co-opt him, using his image and manipulating his statements to fit their position and build broader support for the Shiite jihad. Even as Sistani has never supported absolute velayat-e faqih, 84 Iran’s leaders have unleashed a campaign aimed at presenting Sistani as a willing participant in the Shiite jihad and a backer of Ayatollah Khamenei. This messaging strategy has been used 13
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Page 3 and 4: POLICY FOCUS 138 THE SHIITE JIHAD I
Page 5 and 6: C ONTENTS Acronyms | iv 1 Introduct
Page 7 and 8: 1 Introduction THE SYRIAN CIVIL WAR
Page 9 and 10: 2 The Narrative of Jihad SINCE THE
Page 11 and 12: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 5 a useful
Page 13 and 14: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 7 An Open
Page 15 and 16: THE NARRATIVE OF JIHAD n 9 al-Amin,
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Page 25 and 26: CALL TO JIHAD n 19 al-Sadr contradi
Page 27 and 28: 4 Building an Army for Zainab REPRE
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NOTES AND SOURCES n 67 110. “Sama
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NOTES AND SOURCES n 71 172. May 16,
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NOTES AND SOURCES n 73 205. Michael
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NOTES AND SOURCES n 75 233. Jacob Z
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NOTES AND SOURCES n 77 com/63568782
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NOTES AND SOURCES n 79 294. “Al-M
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BOARD OF DIRECTORS President Richar
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THE SHIITE JIHAD IN SYRIA AND ITS REGIONAL EFFECTS

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