According to the Iraqi daily Al-Sabah Al-Jadid, while the population in both Iran and Iraq are Shi'a Muslims, there is a fundamental difference in the way they view their clerics. The Iranians view their clerics as central to the political system, whereas the Iraqis think clerics should limit themselves to offering advice but should not take part in the daily political action. And these are the fundamental differences between Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the Iraqi religious authority Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani. The Iranian constitution creates velayat al-faqih (the Rule of the Jurisprudent) and grants the supreme leader enormous power. The Iraqi constitution provides no such role to the Iraqi clerics.
Source: Al-Sabah Al-Jadid, Iraq, June 21, 2009
