Sunn vs. Shia on the other blog. My conclusion:
Of course, this isn't the sort of thing that is interesting to most people. It would obviously be best if government officials who played a role in making decisions where this knowledge would be critical would be aware of the details. But I'm not holding my breath, my own experience on this and other blogs is that when it comes to opinions about Islam and the Middle East research is deemed unnecessary and the empires of opinion conquer all (in fact, I have been told that knowing too much is an impediment to proper understanding, and though I accept this as true in some theoretically rigorous sciences where excessive acceptance of received wisdom blinds one to new findings and insights, foreign policy and such are it seems mostly empirical disciplines where a mass of facts exists without great theoretical scaffolding).
- Log in to post comments
I already stated (on my blog recently) that Shi'ism is not Islam, in my opinion on my blog. Why do the Sunnis and Shiites have to pretend their love for one another.Shouldn't that love be the same as extended to Christains and Jews by Muslims?
shi'ism is not islam if catholicism is not christianity.
By stating Shi'ism is not Islam, I wasn't suggesting by the reasoning of deduction, Sunnis were. I have an entirely radical view or theory about Islam. And I believe it is Muslims (and Shi'ites are Muslims too) who are giving Islam a bad name.
Both Catholicism and Protestanism, in fact all of Christianity believe in the prophecy of Jesus. Alawites, a group within Shi'ites worship Imam Ali and not Mohammad.
Fundamentally, Shi'ites consider themselves as the real Islam. However, their actions may not reflect the true Islam. Then again, Muslims may not necessarily be the true representation of Islam anyways. And what is perceived as Islam (especially by the West) may be different than the real thing.
In fact, most Westerners are ignorant of Islam but so are Muslims.