Orrin Judd has been writing for a while about Shi'ite Islam's belief structure, and how its history and its concept of the imperfection of the state until the Hidden Imam's return may offer a hopeful foundation for Islamic liberty.

Reader Mike Daley alerts me to Judd's latest post, which looks at the Shi'ite phenomenon in the context of the coming Iraqi elections and what that may portend for the Muslim world. Lots of good links (though I wish he had left the Chalabi article out), including links to his own past work in this area. As one of his linked articles notes:

"Shias comprise at least 65 percent of the Iraqi population. It is clear that the January 30 election will produce a Shia-majority government.... Still, even if they can anticipate a Shia sweep in Iraq, Westerners generally seem unable to grasp the full meaning, for the Islamic world, of such a fact."

Saudi Arabia, which contains many Shi'ites along its oil-rich east coast who currently feel like second-class citizens, has to be watching these developments with growing unease.

UPDATE: Brian Dunn takes the Saudi observation a few steps further.