Islam and Modernism The Iranian Revolution of 1906

The 1906 revolution established the Iranian state-a constitution, legal and political systems, and a Western--style economy--separate from the religious institutions of Shi'ia. Martin (history, London U.) examines the role played by the ulama, the traditional body of the clerical elite, in this change, and surveys the relations between the ulama and the state until the 1979 revolution restored religious primacy. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR