Middle East Review of International Affairs

Volume 8, Number 2, June 2004

 

The Islamic Da'Wa Party: Past Development and Future Prospects
by Rodger Shanahan ^*

 

Abstract

The invasion of Iraq and its subsequent occupation by U.S.-led forces has allowed the majority Shi'a population to assert itself politically. Much of the debate regarding their political development has focused on the role of the religious scholars, at the expense of other Shi'a political groups. The Da'wa party is the main party not headed by a scholar, and has the longest history of organized communal political activity. The persecution it suffered under Saddam Hussein and the sacrifices it made have earned it support amongst the Shi'a population, but its fractious nature and the other Shi'a political groupings will make it difficult for the party to regain its former influence amongst the Shi'a.

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Note *: Dr. Rodger Shanahan is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Sydney Research Institute for Asia and the Pacific, and teaches at the Department of Arabic & Islamic Studies (rodger_shanahan@hotmail.com). Back