Iraq. Najaf. Dolls for girls sold in the street. A picture of the shiite spritual and Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani is taped on the wall. Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani is the highest-ranking Twelver Shia marja in Iraq and the leader of the Hawza of Najaf. Marja is the label provided to Shia authority, a Grand Ayatollah with the authority to make legal decisions within the confines of Islamic law for followers and less-credentialed clerics. After the koran and the Prophets and Imams, marjas are the highest authority on religious laws in Shia Islam. 26.02.04 © 2004 Didier Ruef ..