Najaf, Renewed; The religious center sways the world's 170 million Shiites--and its clerics will play an enormous role in the evolution of Iraq.(Cover Story) From: Newsweek International | Date: March 1, 2004 | COPYRIGHT 2004 Newsweek, Inc. All rights reserved. Any reuse, distribution or alteration without express written permission of Newsweek is prohibited. For permission: www.newsweek.com. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan.  All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group.Copyright information

Byline: Yitzhak Nakash, Nakash is chair of the program of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Brandeis University, and the author of "The Shi'is of Iraq."

April 9, 2003, will be remembered as the day when much of Baghdad tumbled into American hands. In Firdos Square, U.S. Marines lashed a towering statue of Saddam Hussein to their armored vehicle and pulled it down to the cheers of an elated Iraqi crowd.

Yet barely a day later, an equally powerful, if less n...