The Discourse of De-escalation in the Positions of Sayyid Ali al-Sistani: A Critical Analytical Study

Abstract

This study examines the discourse of de-escalation within the communicative practice of the supreme religious authority in Iraq, represented by Sayyid Ali al-Sistani, through a critical approach that goes beyond description to analyze semantic structures and communicative functions. The study is guided by the following central question: How does the language of de-escalation contribute to shaping public positions and managing crises? It hypothesizes that this discourse is not limited to moral preaching or calls for calm, but may also perform a symbolic function in influencing the public sphere within the boundaries of religious and social authority. The study adopts a descriptive-analytical methodology with a critical orientation by examining selected statements and positions attributed to the religious authority and analyzing their terminology, contexts, and meanings, while drawing on the concept of symbolic power to interpret mechanisms of influence. The analysis focuses on the relationship between discourse and the political and social context, without equating moral influence with the exercise of formal authority. The findings indicate the presence of implicit messaging, moral pressure, and calls for reform in a number of the examined cases, and also discuss the contribution of the discourse of de-escalation to directing protests toward peaceful and lawful means. The study concludes that understanding the impact of the religious authority's discourse requires consideration of its social and moral legitimacy and the contexts in which it was articulated, while recognizing that assessing its impact on the course of events requires documented historical evidence.