Madism, Shi'a Ideology and Ahmadinejad's Docrtine.

This article argues that the rise of Mahdism within Shi'a political Islam during Ahmadinejad's presidency did not lead to a significant break with previous persuasions. The relevance of Mahdism within the politicised and ideologised Shi'a Islam in Iran has been on the rise since the second half of 20^th century. The issue occurred in Shi'a political philosophy and theory prior to the Islamic Revolution in Iran and in the post-revolutionary period, Mahdism became an inherent part of the Islamic political system. The emphasis placed on Mahdism during Ahmadinejad's political career could be also explained by the complex relationships among key political, cultural, economic and religious actors. This article conceptualises Mahdism as a doctrinal catch within the Shi'a political Islam in Iran, focusing on the rise of Mahdism and on the roles key religious leaders played since 1978. In this regard, the role of political philosopher Ali Shariati and theoretician Ayatollah Khomeini are investigated. Revolutionary and post-revolutionary Iran is also evaluated in the text though more attention is paid to the issue of Mahdism. Specifically, the article looks at the "timing" of Mahdism during Ahmadinejad's period in office. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]