Islam, people and power: The Shia

Within Shia Islam there is a high level disagreement about the role of Islam in government. Shia-dominated Iran is an Islamic republic, led by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, a senior Islamic cleric. Yet the Iranian theocratic model of government is not supported by Shia Islam's most senior Islamic cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, who is based in the Iraqi city of Najaf.