Marja Emulation Polity

Marja emulation polity is the governance form recorded in this atlas for religious bodies whose authority lies in living jurists whom the laity choose to emulate. Wikipedia's article on the marja' describes it as a title given to the highest level of Twelver Shia religious cleric, with authority to make legal decisions within Islamic law for followers and for clerics below him in rank. In this atlas the entity stands for the governance form itself, so denominations, religious orders and societies governed this way can be grouped and compared under it, while each member entry keeps its own governance facts and sources.