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I was listening to NPR yesterday, and Fresh Air's guest was Middle East History Professor Juan Cole. He was describing some of the details about the different Muslim sects in Iraq, specifically the Shi'ite sects.| "Cole is an authority on modern Islamic movements. He is professor of modern Middle East and South Asia history at the University of Michigan. His most recent book is Sacred Space and Holy War: The Politics, Culture and History of Shi`ite Islam. The book collects some of his work on the history of the Shiite branch of Islam in modern Iraq, Iran and the Persian Gulf region. |
Now, some of the interesting points that Cole made were about the connections between Shi'ite beliefs and the context that the Iraq invasion is seen in in relation to those beliefs.
Al Sadr, the Shi'ite cleric that we're currently seeking "alive or dead," is a very important figure in this sect. The Shi'ites believe that a powerful messiah-like figure, the "Mahdi," the "divinely guided one," will return very soon. Many even think that Al Sadr is this Messiah. Considering that, you can see why these people are fighting so hard to defend him and listen to him so intently. They think that there are signs leading to the world being "turned on its head," and that this Messiah will deliver the world from this evil and bring the world back to justice.
Now, when you put that into context, it's quite easy to see that the U.S. invasion of Iraq could very easily be seen as the world being "turned on its head." Therefore, these people think that we're after their Messiah. Imagine being in the heart of, say, Georgia when a man who is seen as the second coming of Christ is all of a sudden being saught after by foreign armies to be taken dead or alive.
I imagine people would get pretty pissed, no? Listen to the interview.
By the way, Juan Cole has a blog.
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