Saturday, January 20, 2007

The Caliphate?

It seems to me that in our (Western) clash with Islamic "civilization" (using the term loosely) we should exploit every weakness. As Lenin said "press the bayonet in, if you feel mush then continue to advance, but if you feel steel then withdraw" (maybe that's why Djugashvilli used the pseudonym Stalin meaning "Steel").
While most people now know the difference between Sunni and Shia Islam we often tend to lump all extreme Islamists together. This is a mistake, there is in fact one very major difference between Sunni extremists such as Osama bin Ladin and his al Qaeda organization and the Saudi Wahhabis, and Shia extremists such as Ahmedinejad and his Iranian State, including its ally Hizbollah. The Sunni extremists are fighting to overthrow decadent Western civilization in order to re-introduce the universal Caliphate, to go back to the situation as it was after Mohammed's death in the 8th century. However, the Shia extremists do not support the Caliphate, in fact quite the opposite they are the most severe enemies of the Caliphate.
Shia Islam was founded on the principle that after Mohammed's death his nearest living relative, his grandson Hussein ibn Ali, should become the leader of Islam. While in fact, the majority of Muslims accepted that the followers of Mohammed (known collectively as the ulema) would choose a leader from among themselves, who would be the Caliph, both the political and religious leader. So in effect there was a fundamental clash between the "monarchists" and the "pragmatists." The actual battle between these groups took place in Kerbala (Iraq) in 680 ce, not long after the death of Mohammed (632 ce). Hussein's followers were outnumbered 4:1 and he was killed and the Caliphate was established (first centered in Damascus and then in Baghdad). The Shia (or "party" of Hussein) became a heretical sect of Islam.
Shia and Sunni Islam also differ fundamentally in how they interpret the Islamic legal code known as Sharia. Particularly the Shia reject all aspects of Sharia that are based on the practice of law formulated over the centuries in the Caliphate and the concept of Sunnah that means the "path" of the followers of Mohammed. As a consequence the legal systems of Iran and of Sunni Muslim countries are quite different. This is similar to the difference between Rabbinic Judaism, where all Rabbis accept the previous teachings (precedent) established by earlier Rabbis, and non-Rabbinic Jewish sects, such as Samaritans and Karaites (most of which have in fact nearly died out).
The Caliphate lasted for only about 100 years and then the Islamic Empire broke up into several contending geographical entities that later became countries. The Shia recognized 12 Imams or Ayatollahs (supreme religious leaders) as the legitimate followers of Hussein, and consequently most Shia are called "Twelvers." Some only recognized the first seven of these and are called "Seveners." After the first twelve, the leaders of Shia Islam were forced to go underground, and consequently there were "secret" Imams, whose identity cannot be revealed. The significance of Ayatollah Khomeini was not only that he was the leader of Iran, but that he was the first Ayatollah of Shia Islam to come out into the open. The followers of Shia Islam do not want to re-establish the Caliphate they historically opposed, but want to see a Shia world, in which their Ayatollah excercises secular as well as religious control. In other words, as Iran operates now, with a "secular" political system, where people vote etc. but with a "Supreme Guidance Council" consisting of the religious authority of which the Ayatollah is the Head, that has to sanction all Government decisions (that is how Ahmedinejad was selected as the candidate for the people to vote for).
There are only three countries where Shia are in the majority (Iran, Iraq and Bahrein). It is generally believed that Sunni Muslims are the majority of Muslims in the world (ca. 70%). But, this often ignores minorities of Shia believers in most Muslim countries. For example, in Syria there are the Awalekites who believe that Hussein was a god (a bit like Jesus for the Christians), and although they are only 17% they run the country and the army (Assad is an Awalekite, which explains his alliance with Iran, although the Shia consider the Awalekites to be heretics!). In Lebanon the Shia are the largest single sect (ca. 40%). In Pakistan there are the Ismailis, who have their own leadership (the Aga Khan), and there are Shia-type sects in many other countries. If one adds all these up some believe that there is a majority of Shia in the Muslim world. Clashes between Shia and Sunni Muslims are prevalent in Iraq and Pakistan and even in India (which has the second largest Muslim population in the world).
In this respect Hamas in Palestine is an exception, it is a Sunni extremist organization allied with Shia Iran and Hizbollah. They do this out of practical reasons, because Iran supports them to the hilt, with money (for suicide bombings in Israel), with weapons (rockets) and with training (by Iranian revolutionary guards). Both Hamas and Iran have the same initial goal, to destroy Israel. After that they both want to destroy the West (Britain, America), while Al Qaeda focuses on initial destruction of the West. After purportedly destroying Israel, Hamas wants to establish a Caliphate with Sharia law, although Iran certainly would not support this goal.
Understanding these differences within Islam and possibly exploiting them to show that there is no universal agreement about how Islam should develop, apart from its social and economic backwardness, should be a prime focus for the West. To use an analogy, its as if the century of warfare between Catholicism and Protestantism were still very much alive in the West, as it is for example in Ireland. But, now this fundamental clash is generally subsumed within the framework of the modern secular democratic state.

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