AI
Friday, August 16, 2013 11:30:49 PM
"In Beirut, Lebanon, Kamel Wazne, the founder of the Center for American Strategic Studies, said that fighters are inspired by religious passions rooted in the seventh-century battle in what is now Iraq over who would succeed the Prophet Muhammad."
The Difference Between Alawites and Sunnis in Syria
Why is there Sunni-Alawite tension in Syria?
By Primoz Manfreda, About.com Guide
The differences between Alawites and Sunnis in Syria have sharpened dangerously since the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, whose family is Alawite. The reason for tension is primarily political, rather than religious: top position in Assad’s army are held by Alawite officers, while most of the rebels from the Free Syrian Army .. http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/p/Syrias-Armed-Opposition-Free-Syrian-Army.htm .. come from Syria’s Sunni majority.
In Depth: Syrian Civil War Explained .. http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/tp/Syrian-Civil-War-Explained.htm
Who Are the Alawites in Syria?
""Photo by Chris Hondros / Getty Images
Geographical Presence: Alawites are a Muslim minority group that accounts for around 12% of Syria’s population, with a few small pockets in Lebanon and Turkey (though not to be confused with Alevis .. http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/countries/bl_TurkeyAlevi.htm , a Turkish Muslim minority). Around 70% of Syrians belongs to Sunni Islam, as does almost 90% of all Muslims in the world).
Historical Alawite heartlands lie in the mountainous hinterland of Syria’s Mediterranean coast in the country’s west, next to the coastal city of Latakia. Alawites form the majority in Latakia province, although the city itself is mixed between Sunnis, Alawites and Christians. Alawites also have a sizeable presence in the central province of Homs and in the capital Damascus.
Doctrinal Differences: Alawites practice a unique but little known form of Islam that dates back to the 9th and 10th century. Its secretive nature is an outcome of centuries of isolation from the mainstream society and periodical persecution by the Sunni majority.
Sunnis believe that succession to prophet Mohammed .. http://islam.about.com/od/muhammad/tp/bio_muhammad2.htm .. (d. 632) rightly followed through the line of his most able and pious companions. Alawites follow the Shiite interpretation, claiming that succession should have been based on bloodlines. According to Shiite Islam, Mohammed’s only true heir, imam, was his son-in-law Ali bin Abu Talib .. http://islam.about.com/od/history/p/alibinabutalib.htm .
But Alawites take a step further in the veneration of Imam Ali, allegedly investing him with divine attributes. Other specific elements such as the belief in divine incarnation, permissibility of alcohol, celebration of Christmas and Zoroastrian new year makes Alawite Islam highly suspect in the eyes of many orthodox Sunnis and Shiites.
About.com Agnosticim/Atheism Guide Austin Cline has more on Alawi beliefs.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blfaq_islam_alawis.htm
http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/tp/The-Difference-Between-Alawites-And-Sunnis-In-Syria.htm
.. while the contention the "tension is primarily political, rather than religious" .. it is also stated in the one this replies to .. "The Syrian war fuels, and is fueled by, broader antagonisms that are primarily rooted not in sect but in clashing geopolitical and strategic interests: the regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran; Iran’s confrontation with the West over its nuclear program; and the alliance between Hezbollah and the secular Syrian government .. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/world/middleeast/syrian-army-and-hezbollah-step-up-raids-on-rebels.html .. of Mr. Assad against American-backed Israel." .. the tension is no doubt fueled by religious belief/affiliation .. the reason for this post is simply to have here again exactly the doctrinal differences between Alawite and "many orthodox Sunnis and Shiites.".. it appears conflict in the area is a hellish mix of geopolitical and religious conflict .. one helluva mess .. whatever you want to put the cause down to ..
The Difference Between Alawites and Sunnis in Syria
Why is there Sunni-Alawite tension in Syria?
By Primoz Manfreda, About.com Guide
The differences between Alawites and Sunnis in Syria have sharpened dangerously since the beginning of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad, whose family is Alawite. The reason for tension is primarily political, rather than religious: top position in Assad’s army are held by Alawite officers, while most of the rebels from the Free Syrian Army .. http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/p/Syrias-Armed-Opposition-Free-Syrian-Army.htm .. come from Syria’s Sunni majority.
In Depth: Syrian Civil War Explained .. http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/tp/Syrian-Civil-War-Explained.htm
Who Are the Alawites in Syria?
""Photo by Chris Hondros / Getty Images
Geographical Presence: Alawites are a Muslim minority group that accounts for around 12% of Syria’s population, with a few small pockets in Lebanon and Turkey (though not to be confused with Alevis .. http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/countries/bl_TurkeyAlevi.htm , a Turkish Muslim minority). Around 70% of Syrians belongs to Sunni Islam, as does almost 90% of all Muslims in the world).
Historical Alawite heartlands lie in the mountainous hinterland of Syria’s Mediterranean coast in the country’s west, next to the coastal city of Latakia. Alawites form the majority in Latakia province, although the city itself is mixed between Sunnis, Alawites and Christians. Alawites also have a sizeable presence in the central province of Homs and in the capital Damascus.
Doctrinal Differences: Alawites practice a unique but little known form of Islam that dates back to the 9th and 10th century. Its secretive nature is an outcome of centuries of isolation from the mainstream society and periodical persecution by the Sunni majority.
Sunnis believe that succession to prophet Mohammed .. http://islam.about.com/od/muhammad/tp/bio_muhammad2.htm .. (d. 632) rightly followed through the line of his most able and pious companions. Alawites follow the Shiite interpretation, claiming that succession should have been based on bloodlines. According to Shiite Islam, Mohammed’s only true heir, imam, was his son-in-law Ali bin Abu Talib .. http://islam.about.com/od/history/p/alibinabutalib.htm .
But Alawites take a step further in the veneration of Imam Ali, allegedly investing him with divine attributes. Other specific elements such as the belief in divine incarnation, permissibility of alcohol, celebration of Christmas and Zoroastrian new year makes Alawite Islam highly suspect in the eyes of many orthodox Sunnis and Shiites.
About.com Agnosticim/Atheism Guide Austin Cline has more on Alawi beliefs.
http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blfaq_islam_alawis.htm
http://middleeast.about.com/od/syria/tp/The-Difference-Between-Alawites-And-Sunnis-In-Syria.htm
.. while the contention the "tension is primarily political, rather than religious" .. it is also stated in the one this replies to .. "The Syrian war fuels, and is fueled by, broader antagonisms that are primarily rooted not in sect but in clashing geopolitical and strategic interests: the regional power struggle between Saudi Arabia and Iran; Iran’s confrontation with the West over its nuclear program; and the alliance between Hezbollah and the secular Syrian government .. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/26/world/middleeast/syrian-army-and-hezbollah-step-up-raids-on-rebels.html .. of Mr. Assad against American-backed Israel." .. the tension is no doubt fueled by religious belief/affiliation .. the reason for this post is simply to have here again exactly the doctrinal differences between Alawite and "many orthodox Sunnis and Shiites.".. it appears conflict in the area is a hellish mix of geopolitical and religious conflict .. one helluva mess .. whatever you want to put the cause down to ..
It was Plato who said, “He, O men, is the wisest, who like Socrates, knows that his wisdom is in truth worth nothing”
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