NightSwimmer
Senator
...Which sect of Islam would you prefer to see gain power in the Middle East?
As a binary choice...
- Thread starter NightSwimmer
- Start date
Who gives a shit?
NightSwimmer
Senator
That would be the "I have no preference" selection, Jack.
Havelock
Mayor
I don't guess I have a real preference. Sunni's have the edge in terms of the sheer area within which they've traditionally been the dominant sect. Sunni's have also traditionally been arguably more ecumenical and open to syncretic schools of thought such as Sufism. That's a plus in my book. Then again, Sunni Islam has also given rise to Wahhabism, so...
Why do you ask?
That's the one I punched.
ITALIA
Mayor
Neither. I vote secular.
NightSwimmer
Senator
I am curious as to whether there is a preference for one of the two sects among Americans that relates to one's own political ideology.
NightSwimmer
Senator
Yes, I offered several options for responses in the actual poll. By "binary choice", I simply meant "if you had to choose one over the other".
NightSwimmer
Senator
My understanding is that they would be more closely associated to Shia Islam than to Sunni? Sufism is somewhat similar to Kabbalism in Judaism.
LeRoy_Was_Here
Senator
George W. Bush: You mean, there are different KINDS of Muslims?!?!??????!???
fairsheet
Senator
In the interest of flogging this semantic horse, I'll suggest that you can't simultaneously offer up five choices AND say it's about choosing "one" over the "other".
Havelock
Mayor
I'd describe Sufism more as a cross between Kabbalism and the Jesuits.
It's a pretty broad school of thought, really. Lots of variations, but usually a big emphasis on mysticism and ecstatic union with the divine... Anyway, I think Sufism has been fairly important in both the Shia and Sunni traditions at various times. Just at the moment, though, the Shia authorities in Iran aren't looking too kindly on Sufis from what I've read.
Cheers.
NightSwimmer
Senator
I'd describe Sufism more as a cross between Kabbalism and the Jesuits.
Anyway, I think Sufism has been fairly important in both the Shia and Sunni traditions at various times. Just at the moment, though, the Shia authorities in Iran aren't looking too kindly on Sufis from what I've read.
Cheers.
The Sufi's desire to have their own spiritual leadership hasn't gone over too well with either sect, from what I have read. Apparently, they don't place as much emphasis on Sharia as do either the Sunni or Shia.
Havelock
Mayor
Well that's the trouble with those unruly, unpredictable mystics, isn't it? So enamored of their own spiritual journey... So hard to control... Scofflaws the lot of them.
EatTheRich
President
I prefer secularism as well, and I dislike the idea of people pitting others against each other on sectarian lines ... especially for a non-Muslim like myself to say that one form of Islam is preferable. Now, generally speaking, I prefer majority rule, which if people vote as confessional blocs means Sunni rule in most of the Middle East, including Syria, but Shi'ite rule in places like Iraq and Bahrain. I am not a supporter of any of the regimes in the region, but in a lot of cases I think of Iran as the lesser evil, and they are of course Shi'ite.
In the context of the Syrian civil war, I sympathize with the (mostly Sunni) rebels. But if it turns into a regional war, with Iran, Iraq, Hizballah, and Assad on one side, and Turkey and Saudi Arabia on the other, I'd be supporting the Shi'ite side.
In the context of the Syrian civil war, I sympathize with the (mostly Sunni) rebels. But if it turns into a regional war, with Iran, Iraq, Hizballah, and Assad on one side, and Turkey and Saudi Arabia on the other, I'd be supporting the Shi'ite side.
NightSwimmer
Senator
Broadly speaking, the Sunnis agree with your preference for majority rule. The initial Islamic schism that created these two major sects of Islam revolved around the ascension to power after the death of Muhammad. While both sects initially held the belief that the ruler of all of Islam should be a descendant of Muhammad, there was a disagreement as to which descendant should rule. Over time, all of these descendants have been killed off by one means or another. The Sunni sect's beliefs eventually evolved to the point that they agreed that their ruler should be elected. Meanwhile, the Shia maintain that there is an immortal Imam in hiding awaiting the precise moment at which he should reemerge to rule over all of Islam, which will (of course) include all of humanity. Obviously, this version of the story is an oversimplification, since there are sub-sects within both the Sunni and Shia sects who maintain different versions of their history.
At any rate, when the Caliphate ended in the 1920s, it was the Sunni sect who deposed and expelled the last Caliph from Turkey. Ironically, while it has been the Shia sect that has historically held fast to the belief that the supreme leader of Islam should only be a descendant of Muhammad, appointed by Allah to rule, the majority of Muslims now rising up to force the return of the Caliphate (such as Al Qaeda) are Sunnis who consider the Shi'ites heretical apostates.
Oh well... When you play the game of thrones you win or you die.
NightSwimmer
Senator
I did include the option of "no preference" in the poll, but "secular" isn't really an option -- either in the poll or in the Middle East. Hopefully, it will become an option in the future. As it stands, we find ourselves supporting one sect over the other whenever we involve ourselves in one of these civil wars.
It appears to me that we have generally chosen to support the Sunnis over the Shia in recent history. That also appears to be the consensus position of the US government in regard to the current civil war in Syria. It is certainly John McCain's position.
