Sistani: Object of Emulation - Iraq

June 2004 The success of the new government in Iraq rests on one man. Ayotollah Sistani has the power to unseat any government and unleash civil war. "If Ayatollah Sistani declares Jihad, I will put down my tools, say farewell to my family, and go to war," declares one man. Another refers to him as "our nuclear timebomb." Sistani hasn't left his house in six years and refuses interviews to anyone. But the vast majority of the country will do exactly as he asks, whatever it may be: Sistani is the leader of 180 million Shia Muslims worldwide. For now, he's urging moderation but the violence unleashed by his rival, Moqtada al-Sadr, who commands a fraction of the support of Sistani, reveals just how dangerous he could be if he called for jihad.