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Source: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_SHIITE_LEADERSHIP?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME
Shiite Leadership Clash in Iran, Iraq
(AP/Washington Times) Hamza Hendawi - With Shiites empowered in postwar Iraq, the leadership of the world's estimated 170 million Shiites involves a contest between the holy cities of Najaf in Iraq and Qom in neighboring Iran. Najaf's "quietest" school of thought places a cleric's spiritual calling ahead of involvement in politics. The fall of Saddam's regime signaled the rebirth of Najaf and the start of its journey to replace Qom as the foremost seat of Shiite learning. The independence and energy of Najaf's seminaries is a far cry from Qom under the rule of the Iranian clergy.