Shia Islam: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 15:01, 2 July 2005

Revision as of 15:52, 2 July 2005

Line 150:

== Modern Shi'a-Sunni relations ==

The communities have remained separate, mingling only during the Hajj.

Many Sunnis refuse to accept the Shi'a as fellow Muslims, calling them "bringers of ''bid'a''" -- bid'a, or innovation, being regarded as necessarily wrong. The Shi'a in turn believe that the Sunni have yielded to power and the temptations of ease and wealth, and that only the Shi'a have kept faith with Muhammad's original intentions. The communities have remained separate, mingling only during the Hajj.

Modern Shi'a have generally been tolerant towards the Sunni, tolerating them even when the state religion is Shi'a, as in Iran. However, when attacked (as in Pakistan) they have retaliated violently.

However, when attacked (as in Pakistan) they have retaliated violently.

Modern mainstream Sunni have also become less confrontational. The renowned [[al-Azhar]] Theological school in [[Egypt]], one of the main centers of Sunni scholarship in the world, announced the following on July 6, 1959:

:''"The Shi'a is a school of thought that is religiously correct to follow in worship as are other Sunni schools of thought."''

Al-Azhar's official position in this regard remains unchanged to this day. However, MuslimsSunni Scholars like theIbn [[Taliban]],Tamiyyah [[Al-Qaeda]],have andbeen thestrongly [[Pakistan]]idefiant [[Islamist]] parties still regardagainst Shi'a as hereticsism, and have been responsible for many attacks on Shi'a gatherings at mosques and shrines.

Modern day conflicts such as in [[Iraq]] and [[Afghanistan]] have driven the followers of Sunni'sm and Shi'ism into intense seperatism and conflict.

== Major Centers of Shi'a Scholarship ==