"The Other Shi'a and the New Iraq": Democracy and Ecumenism in the Thought of Ahmad al-Katib Ahmad al-Katib is an Iraqi Shi'ite intellectual, living in London, whose unique thought renders him one of the most important voices in contemporary Shi'ite discourse. My paper will outline the features of "the other Shi'a”, which al-Katib identifies in the new Iraq, as reflected in his writings and vision. I will argue that his background as an Iraqi Shi'ite was a major factor which enabled al-Katib to develop a critical view of modern day Shi'a and Iran’s hegemony over it. Born in Karbala’, Iraq, in 1953, al-Katib received a traditional Shi'ite education and qualified as a cleric. In the course of his higher religious studies in post-Revolution Iran, he began studying the roots and sources of the doctrine of the “Rule of the Jurisprudent” (wilayat al-faqih), which is identified with Khomeini. His research led him to question the Shi'ite axioms upon which he had been raised. He maintained that the doctrine of the Imama was a conception of extremist Shi'ites and ran counter to the positions and beliefs of the Imams, and that the twelfth Imam, who is viewed by the Twelver Shi'ites as the expected redeemer (Mahdi), did not exist, and was nothing but an invention by interested parties. Al-Katib’s historic claim led him to two important conclusions: first, that the doctrine of the “Rule of the Jurisprudent” must come to an end, and the nation must embrace democracy; and second, that the historical disputes between Shi'a and Sunna must be discarded and the Islamic nation reunited. Al-Katib’s book (published in London, 1997), in which he expounds upon his approach, ignited controversy in the Shi'ite world. Since then, he has continued to write, publish, and give interviews in the media. My paper is based on a thorough study of these primary sources. Central to al-Katib’s writings is an alternative reading of Shi'ite theology and a call to promote ecumenical discourse between Shi'a and Sunna. He presents an alternative historical narrative that contests that of the Shi'ite clerics, and challenges their monopoly over the religious and daily affairs of the Shi'ite community. Defying the "traditional" agents of collective memory, he attempts to deconstruct the collective memory of the Shi'a and to rebuild it upon pan-Islamic and universal foundations rooted in a democratic state, looking to the new democratic Iraq as an exemplar.