The Shi'ites: A Short History

Combining history, comparative religion, and political interpretations, Heinz Halm elucidates Shi'ism and political developments in the Middle East for the uninformed reader. The author highlights three main aspects of Shi'a Islam: its historical development, especially the history of the Imans; the rituals, including flagellation and passion plays; and the rules of the mullahs, known as the "government of experts." Halm explains the exalted position of the religious scholars, the mullahs a...