Editing Sectarianism (section)

==== Pre-1979 Revolution ====

Shiism has been an important factor in shaping the politics, culture and religion within Iran, long before the Iranian 1979 revolution.<ref name="Iran's Regime of Religion"/> During the [[Safavid dynasty]] Shiism was established as the official ideology.<ref name="Iran's Regime of Religion"/> The establishment of Shiism as an official government ideology opened the doors for clergies to benefit from new cultural, political and religious rights which were denied prior to the Safavid ruling.<ref name="Iran's Regime of Religion"/> During the [[Safavid dynasty]] Shiism was established as the official ideology.<ref name="Iran's Regime of Religion"/>
The Safavid rule allowed greater freedom for religious leaders. By establishing Shiism as the state religion, they legitimised the religious authority. After this power establishment, religious leaders started to play a crucial role within the political system but remained socially and economically independent.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Abisaab |first1=Rula |title=Converting Persia: religion and power in the Safavid Empire |date=26 February 2004 |publisher=I.B. Tauris |isbn=186064970X }}</ref> The monarchial power balance during the Safavid ere changed every few years, resulting in a changing limit of power of the clergies. The tensions concerning power relations of the religious authorities and the ruling power eventually played a pivotal role in the [[Persian Constitutional Revolution|1906 constitutional revolution]] which limited the power of the monarch, and increased the power of religious leaders.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bayat |first1=Mangol |title=Iran's first revolution : Shi'ism and the constitutional revolution of 1905-1909 |year=1991 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=0-19-506822-X }}</ref> The 1906 constitutional revolution involved both constitutionalist and anti-constitutionalist clergy leaders. Individuals such as [[Sayyid Jamal al-Din Va'iz]] were constitutionalist clergies whereas other clergies such as [[Mohammed Kazem Yazdi]] were considered anti-constitutionalist. The establishment of a Shiite government during the Safavid rule resulted in the increase of power within this religious sect. The religious power establishment increased throughout the years and resulted in fundamental changes within the Iranian society in the twentieth century,  eventually leading to the establishment of the Shiite Islamic Republic of Iran in 1979.