Grand Ayatollah Hakim's passing affects Iraqi Shiite politics

Following the death of Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, one of Iraq’s most senior and influential Muslim Shiite clerics, the family lost one of its sources of religious, social and political power.
Iraqis attend the funeral of Ayatollah Mohammad Said al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top four Shiite clerics, at the Imam Ali shrine in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on Sept. 5, 2021.
Iraqis attend the funeral of Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim, one of Iraq's top four Shiite clerics, at the Imam Ali shrine in Iraq's central holy shrine city of Najaf on Sept. 5, 2021. - ALI NAJAFI/AFP via Getty Images
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Mustafa Saadoun
@SaadoonMustafa

The death of Shiite religious authority Grand Ayatollah Sayyed Mohammed Saeed al-Hakim on Sept. 3, one of the Iraqi Shiite community's most respected leaders, highlighted the relationships and rivalries of Iraq's clerical leadership.

The late grand ayatollah was one of the four main authorities along with grand ayatollahs Ali al-Sistani, Bashir al-Najafi and Muhammad Ishaq al-Fayyad.

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