This collection of essays explores the nature of political and religious leadership in Shi'ism. Contributors look at a variety of critical historical periods--from medieval to modern--to reveal the social, political, and theological factors that have influenced the development of Shi'ite leadership.

In May 1998, John Joseph, the first native Pakistani Catholic bishop, shot himself in front of the courthouse where a Christian had been sentenced to death for blasphemy. This book tells the story of the Christians in Pakistan, with Bishop Joseph as its centrepiece. It is an account of outcastes who sought hope through Christianity, but who now find themselves victims of a struggle to define Islam in Pakistan. The majority of Pakistani Christians are descendants of untouchables converted to Christianity in the late 19th century. In Pakistan a minority religion is linked with low status,...