"Hamid Mavani's Religious Authority and Political Thought in Twelver Shiism is a timely, judicious, impeccably researched, and vastly learned contribution to our evolving understanding of the thorny issue of authority in Islamic political thought. More than thirty years after Ayatollah Khomeini made his specific reading of political authority in Shi'ism the cornerstone of an Islamic state, and at the world-historic moment when Arab revolutions have once again brought that issue to the forefront of our critical attention, Professor Mavani's learned book takes a clear and critical angle that will clarify and enrich our encounter with political Islam." - Hamid Dabashi, Hagop Kevorkian Professor of Iranian Studies and Comparative Literature, Columbia University, USA
"The major contribution of the study is in the field of contemporary Shiite politics. Through a meticulous examination of the classical theological and traditional sources Dr Hamid Mavani has demonstrated that Shiite religious leadership in Iran and Lebanon is engaged in setting the course of Shiite history in modern times. Contemporary Shiite history, as Dr. Mavani has shown, is an intricate of amalgam of pragmatics and multidimensional response to the Shiite futuristic thought about its role in the unfolding of the partnership between religion and politics. More pertinently, the study opens a fresh window of assessing Shiite political thought in the context of modern nation-state. No student of comparative politics and religious leadership can afford to ignore this stimulating contribution to the study of Shiism in Iran and Lebanon." - Abdulaziz Sachedina, Professor and Endowed IIIT Chair in Islamic Studies, George Mason University, USA
"Hamid Mavani examines Twelver Shii views on political activity and leadership during the continued absence of the Hidden Imam from the very earliest years of the faith to the present. While he addresses the rise of wilayat al-faqih, the doctrine that underpins the Islamic Republics present political paradigm, he is also careful to detail alternative contemporary views on authority offered by both Arabs and Iranians, a number of whom are not as well known to western readers as they might be. Mavanis contribution is an excellent, most welcome and very timely reminder of the complexity of past and, especially, contemporary Twelver Shii discourse in general and Twelver discourse on political authority in particular." - Andrew J Newman, Reader in Islamic Studies and Persian, University of Edinburgh, UK
"Deep enough to capture the interest of well-read scholars and yet easy enough for the novice, Hamid Mavanis writing is stellar. The introduction and first chapter, The Ethos of Shiism, are worthy of placement on the required reading list of any college level course in Islamic studies. But Mavani goes on to explore, analyze, and interpret the ideas of the Imamate that pervade present day national and international political Islam. The doctrine of the Imamate has been and might continue to be the single most divisive doctrine in Islam. Yet, Mavani guides the reader toward an interpretation based upon very credible Shiite authorities that sets the stage for a future positively influenced by this rich doctrine. Perhaps the most important chapter, The Case for Secularity in Islam, sets out an authentic, authoritative view of the Imamate that, if widely read, will encourage a present day relevancy of the Imamate for nations and peoples dedicated to Islam. Mavanis view of political Islam is certainly not static, unchanging or monolithic. - Mark F. Carr, PhD, Professor of Religious Ethics, School of Religion,
Loma Linda University.
