The Iraqi holy cities of Al-Najaf and Karbala are centers of religious learning for Shi’a Muslims from all over the world. Their importance as sacred hubs of Shi’ism was suppressed during the rule of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein. But now, many Shi’a clerics are returning to Iraq, and the holy cities are regaining their former prominence.

It seems inevitable that the U.S. and the Shias of Iraq must soon find themselves locked in a struggle for power. This is because the Shias – some 60 percent of the population – are the only indigenous force able to challenge the American military presence and, conversely, because the U.S. army in Iraq is the only force able to prevent a Shiite seizure of power.

Iraq’s Shia Muslims compose the majority of the country’s population, but the community has long been eclipsed by Iraq’s more powerful Sunni Muslim minority. Now, as talk of war between the U.S. and Iraq mounts, many Shia are looking to Washington for change.