A Look at Influential Shiite Figures

-- Brief profiles of the most influential Shiites in the Middle East:

GRAND AYATOLLAH ALI AL-SISTANI _ Iranian-born Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani is perhaps the most influential figure in Iraq since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003. He forced the Americans to hold elections in January 2005, insisting that only elected deputies would be qualified to write Iraq's new constitution. Al-Sistani, who is in his late 70s, is known to be at odds with Iran's ruling clerics over their right to rule. However, his influence on Iraqi politics has led some to question his declared principle that clerics should stay out of politics. His worldwide following includes most Iraqi Shiites, but his failure to rein in suspected Shiite death squads targeting Sunnis in Iraq raises questions about the extent of his influence.

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MUQTADA AL-SADR _ Muqtada al-Sadr rose from obscurity in the aftermath of the ouster of Saddam Hussein to lead a movement of young, underprivileged Iraqis united by opposition to U.S. military presence as well as hunger for Shiite domination. Al-Sadr, who is in his mid-30s, is a master of street politics, and his young lieutenants can rally tens of thousands of protesters at short notice. Al-Sadr, once wanted in the 2003 murder of a key cleric, gained much influence when his parliamentary bloc of 30 deputies was instrumental in the election of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. Dismissed by older Shiite politicians as a dangerous upstart, al-Sadr set up the al-Mahdi Army militia in 2003. It is suspected of being behind the abduction and murder of thousands of Sunnis in what are known as death squad killings.

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AYATOLLAH ALI KHAMENEI _ As Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei wields control over every major decision either directly or through a network of hand-picked loyalists and institutions, including the Revolutionary Guards, the judiciary and intelligence services. Khamenei's fatwas, or religious edicts, are observed by followers in Iran and beyond. His unwavering support for the Palestinians and hatred for Israel have thrown Iran into the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. This has angered traditional Mideast players such as U.S. allies Hosni Mubarak of Egypt and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, who fear the spread of Iran's influence in the Arab world.

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HASSAN NASRALLAH _ Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been instrumental in the steady empowerment of Lebanon's Shiites over the past decade. Hezbollah, or Party of God, functions as a political party, charity and a militia. Under attack from its guerrillas, Israel pulled out of Lebanon in 2000, ending an 18-year occupation. Last summer's war between Hezbollah and Israel showed again won admiration for the Iranian- and Syrian-backed militia throughout the Arab world. Nearly one million people attended his "victory" rally in Beirut in September. But the devastation wrought by Israel on Lebanon angered many of the country's non-Shiites and heightened Sunni-Shiite tensions.