The Ground Zero Mosque Debate

Unless you have made an effort not to watch the news or listen to pundits on talk radio then you are probably aware that there has been a major debate going on across the nation that is centered on the construction of a Muslim Mosque near the site of Ground Zero. Ground Zero is the site where the World Trade Center’s Twin Towers raised into the Manhattan sklyline before al Qaeda terrorists brought them down by flying hijacked commercial airliners filled with passengers into them causing the skyscrapers to crumble to the ground and into a dust that soaked through the city streets of one of America’s most prized cities. Over 3000 people died that dark day that would forever leave an unhealed wound that bleeds even to this day. It marked the first day when the average American realized that United States was at war with radical Islam. Two wars and thousands more young soldiers lost were the result of the 911 attacks. 9 years later and America is still fighting those that align themselves with our enemies. In recent years we have become a nation that questions it’s resolve in this global conflict known as the “War On Terrorism”.

In recent days President Obama came forward after months of silence and stated that he supports the building of the mosque near the ground zero site. He expressed that America is the home of religious freedom and Muslims like Christians and Jews have the right to buid a house of worship on their private property. These statements are very true and all Americans should agree with this. However, the debate is not about what is legal, but rather what is sensible and respectful. President Obama missed an important point that has been made by the majority of Americans that oppose the construction of the mosque so close to the 911 attacks. It is not about what is legal it is about what is right. Despite this protest the group building the mosque has no plans of stopping the construction, moving the mosque to another location, or any other form of compromise. The odd thing about the location is that in this part of New York there is not a significant Muslim population..

Opponents of the mosque including the majority of New Yorkers believe that it is insensitive to build the mosque so close to what they consider hallow and sacred ground. The trauma that New York endured during the days of and following the 911 attacks should not be discounted, nor should the pain that families fealt after losing loved ones. The right thing to do is obvious to everyone else except Islam. It is important to understand that Islam is not merely a religion, but a combination of theological, political, and cultural control that includes the ultimate objective of imposing Islam and Sharia law worldwide, subjugating all else to the rule of Islam. If an Iman says this is not the end goal of Islam then he would not be representing the majority of Muslims in the world. Islam as a political movement should not be given the same rights of other religions that are not seeking to impose a harsh political and law system among all regardless of their relgious affiliation. In fact non-Muslims would more than likely be prosecuted under Muslim rule. You only have to look at Saudi Arabi to see the intolerance of Islam to other religions. Saudi Arabia has invested huge sums of money not only in the American economy but also in the construction of mosques across America.

The next interesting point to make regarding the Ground Zero Mosque is the name itself. The name that the group desired to have on the 13 story mosque was to be “The Cordoba House”. Córdoba is a city in Andalusia, southern Spain, and the capital of the province of Córdoba. An Iberian and Roman city in ancient times, in the Middle Ages it was a capital of an Islamic caliphate. Cordoba was an important possession of the Muslim Empire. It was made a symbol of Islamic conquest and culture. An outpost of the Muslim World. The name of the Cordoba House is in itself enough to make one wonder about the point that this construction is making to the rest of the world. Many Americans believe that the name originally given to the mosque is not coincidental or an accident. Is this the same point that was made in Codoba, Spain when the Isamic conquest of this region was marked by turning the largest church in Cordoba into a mosque. Why else would you reference the name Cordoba.

Yet another lightening rod in this dispute is the man that is heading the project. Iman Faisal Abdul Rauf. Rauf is a very well known Muslim figure that has many beliefs that are questioned by the Ground Zero Mosque protest movement that has even expanded onto the social networks including facebook. Rauf’s statements have many believing that he has stances that align with Radical Islam. He has refused to describe Hamas as a terrorist organization. After the 9-11 attacks, he said on 60 minutes that the USA’s policies were an accessory to the 9-11 attacks and that Bin Laden was “made in the USA”. These remarks are very typical of the moderate Muslim population that has acted as an enabler for the more radical elements of the religion that is carrying out this war with the West in the hopes that a new Islamic Caliphate that is ruled by Sharia Law can be established world wide. Rauf also has made ridiculous comments about the U.S. actions during WWII. “The Islamic method of waging war is not to kill innocent civilians. But it was Christians in World War II who bombed civilians in Dresden and Hiroshima, neither of which were military targets.”

Rauf is a supporter of Sharia law being implemented worldwide. He sugarcoats and completely misinforms others about an abusive and barbaric system. In 2009 for the Huffington Post he wrote a post claiming that “Muhammad has been known as the first feminist” and that “Gender equality is an intrinsic part of Islamic belief.” In the same article he also said that Islam supports democracy and that “religious freedom is at the core of Islam”. This is in no way an acceptable description of Sharia Law. This system is notorious for stoning women to death after being buried to her neck for being accused of adultery. If a woman is raped she must have four male witnesses to prove her case. She herself in many Muslim countries is putting her very life on the line for even bringing up the accusations. It is the same system that provides for “Honor Killings’ which is a practice of killing women and children for shaming the husband or father by not being “Good Muslims”. Rauf’s statements are way out of line based on what the rest of the world knows about Sharia Law.

There are many other interesting facts that are being overlooked when it comes to Faisal Rauf. An interesting article on Abdul-Rauf was published on 14 May 2010 by Alyssa A. Lappen in an article titled The Ground Zero Mosque Developer: Muslim Brotherhood Roots, Radical Dreams. This provides insight into the Imam and his constant contradictions that he makes regarding the ideology of the “moderate Muslim Imam. Any connection to the Muslim Brotherhood should not be taken lightly. This group is not only outlawed in the country of Egypt where it originated, but also known terrorists Osama bin Laden, Dr. Ayman Muhammad Rabaie al-Zawahiri, and a host of other well known terrorists including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. Sheik Mohammed was the mastermind of the 911 attacks. Many moderate Muslims will tell us that the Brotherhood has denounced violence, yet a sect of this organization seems to be operating clandestingly on behalf of Radical Islam. It cannot be a coincidence that there are so many “former members” that are associated with terrorism by either plotting, carrying out or financing jihad around the globe. Rauf’s father, Dr. Muhammad Abdul Rauf who passed in 2004 was an Egyptian contemporary of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan al-Banna. The Ground Zero mosque plan is very similar to the plans fist initiated by Rauf’s late father in 1965. Muhammad R. Abdul Rauf moved to New York to plan and head a huge Islamic Cultural Center that took the next two decades to realize. He bought prime Manhattan real estate at 96th St. and 3rd Ave — roughly two thirds of a city block — apparently with $1.3 million in funding from Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Libya. The late Rauf long retained some of that land in a personal trust. When construction started on the $17 million mosque in 1984, it had received funding from 46 Islamic nations. By 2010, the enormous Islamic complex had added another two buildings. Since 1984, its founders-envisioned apartment unit has been restricted to Muslims alone. His father was a member of the Muslim Brotherhood organization that attempts to keep it’s membership a secret in order to accomplish it’s goal of creating a new world wide caliphate that includes a 100 year plan for the U.S. to fall under Muslim rule.

Background Fact Of The Ground Zero Mosque.
.

New Yorkers say a mosque only blocks from the site of a terror attack by Islamic extremists that killed more than 2,700 people is a painful affront. Pollsters say a clear majority of Americans oppose it. Recent polls suggest that as many as 70% of Americans oppose the construction of the mosque near the Ground Zero site. Some have even referred to the project as ludicrous, a slap in the face to the families of the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and a monument to the 9/11 attackers. In the end the mosque will be constructed. It will not only become a symbol of victory for supporters of radical Islam but will also more than likely be yet another mosque in the United States funded by Saudi Arabia and the Muslim Brotherhood to spread their rhetoric of the future domination of Islam over all religions. Aspiring jihadist will not only come from all over the world to visit the symbol of Islamic victory against America but will draw strength from the project as well. There is nothing moderate about a project that is opposed by over seventy percent of Americans. There is nothing moderate about a project that is designed to have a place of worship that overlooks the ruins that radical elements of Islam destroyed. The moderate Muslims that support this construction are not being honest and that is the bottom line. The future will show that this project will deepen the divide between Muslims, Christians, and the Jews. It will never stand for anything other than a weakened American resolve and the new resolve of the codependency of moderate and radical Islam.

Throughout our lives we have seen peace treaties negotiated and signed to prevent future conflicts from recurring again in the future. To come to an agreement to end hostilities among two nations that both agree to conform to the demands of the accepted and signed results of negotiations. This definition of a peace treaty is more in line with what Westerners and many other parts of the world believe. In the Muslim World this is not the case unless it is between two Muslim nations.

Peace treaties among Muslim nations are acceptable However a peace treaty between a Muslim country and a non-Muslim country is not. This is where the word Hudna comes into play. A few non-Arabic speakers attach complicated meaning to “hudna,” but in reality, its definition is simple. Hudna in different variations can mean calm, tranquillity or an intermission. In the language of politics, “it means the cessation of hostilities, which does not necessarily imply the end of the conflict,” said Rashid Khalidi, the director of Columbia University’s Middle East Institute. “It’s the standard term for an armistice.”

Below is an Interesting video on the struggle for Israel and Palestinian Peace Process

Hudna is an greement that Muslim nations enter into with non-Muslim nations. Hudna is the Islamic process of covenant or peace treaty with non-believers. It is not meant to be kept. There are two reasons that Hudna is important to Islamic nations and militant groups.

We see Hudna in the conflict between Israel and Hizballah. It seems that Hizballah calls for peace after the conflict heats up and begins to experience too much damage at the hands of the more superior and better armed Israeli forces. It is never meant to be a lasting peace. It is the same with the Palestinians. They enter into peace treaties such as the Oslo Peace Accords that the rest of the world saw as a peace treaty in the Western sense, but in the end it was only meant to get as many concessions as the Palestinians could get as well as a time to regroup and be rearmed so that in the next battle they will be in a stronger position. There was never an intent for lasting peace on the side of the Palestinians nor Hizballah in these laughable agreements. It is like calling a timeout. In their eyes the only peace is an end to the state of Israel. Hudna will become more important in the near future as more conflicts between Muslims and non-Muslim nations occur such as the looming Iran and Israel dilemma that we are seeing unfold in the Middle East.

The length of a Hudna is not meant to last for more than ten years.

Federal authorities had been investigating members of a Michigan-based Christian Militia known as the “Hutaree” which claims they are preparing to fight the Antichrist when he arrives on Earth.   Authorities said they have been monitoring the group for some time but were forced to “take them down” over the weekend after learning of an imminent threat against police, Barbara McQuade, the U.S. attorney leading the prosecution said Tuesday.  In total their was nine suspects arrested in the conspiracy to commit a well thought out plan against law enforcement and their families.  Eight members of a small group of “Christian warriors” were arrested in several Midwestern states and a day later the FBI nabbed a ninth suspect, Joshua Stone, following a standoff at a trailer in rural Michigan.

Members of Hutaree had been undergoing paramilitary training, including learning how to shoot guns and make bombs since 2008, according to an indictment. Authorities seized guns in the raids but would not say whether they found explosives.

The federal indictment alleges the group was planning a violent attack sometime in April. The plan was to kill a member of local law enforcement, then attack the funeral procession with weapons of mass destruction. The indictment further alleges the group would use the attack as a catalyst for a more wide-spread uprising against the government

Who Are The Hutaree

The Hutaree is a Christian Militant Group that is based in Adrian, Michigan and was founded sometime in the Spring of 2008. The website translates thier name Hutaree as to mean “Christian Warriors”. The following is a excerpt from their website that states their main cause:

From visiting their website it is apparent that their militia main concern is with the Book of Revelations that prophesises that the anti-christ will return and that Christians are told to prepare for this event and resist him. The group has opted to be the protectors of the Chrisitian Faith. Something I did not come across was threats or essays of committing violent acts nor did I come across any “hate” speeches. What I found were a lot of verses from the Bible to explain why they were gathering as a group. I keep reading in the newspaper that they are a “Right Wing Threat”, but nowhere could I conclude that they had any political agenda or were even part of the Tea Party movement. I guess what I am saying is that just because they say they are Christian does not mean that they are Republican, Democrat, or any other Right Wing or Left Wing conspiracy. If the charges are proved then what you will have is basically an extremeist fringe Christian Militia. We cannot conclude that the group represents anyone elses agenda or beliefs other than their own.

However, somewhere along the path to being God fearing Christians, the group sounds like they got lost or confused. To kill a police officer, only to plan a subsequent more fatal attack which would kill hundreds that attend the would be victim officer’s funeral which would undoubtdly include families, wives, and sadly enough even children is not only not Chrisitan but are the acts of pure domestic terrorism. The plan was taken right out of al Qaeda’s play book of combining attacks where the first would kill and create panic that attracted people to the scene, to then carry out the second attack to kill first responders. In this case the people attending the funeral of the would be slain police officer.

The Hutaree, if charges are correct, are not a Christian organization at all. You can not base your organization on twisted enterpertations of God’s Word to commit acts of cold blooded murder to any of God’s children and expect to be called Christian. It is more delusional thinking and being lost in someone’s morbid Kool-aid idea of Christianity that in reality does not exhist in the true religion itself.

.

On Sunday Nigeria bled into the streets in another of a series of brutal attacks that have been occuring in the African country between Northern Muslims and the Southern Christians. On this day over 200 Christians would be savagely slaughtered. Some estimates are as high as 500. Survivors say Christian villagers were trapped in nets and hacked to death by Muslim herdsman. The killers planted nets and animal traps outside the huts of the villagers, mainly peasant farmers, fired weapons in the air, then attacked with machetes, according to human rights lawyer Shehu Sani of the nongovernment Civil Rights Congress, who visited the villages and interviewed dozens of survivors. “People came out of their houses and started falling into the animal traps and mosquito nets and then they were hacked down,” he said. “They were the kind of traps used for wild animals.”

In January over 300 mostly Muslim people were violently killed. Sunday’s attack appears to be a revenge attack as a result of the January massacres. The Northern section of Nigeria is mostly Muslim while the Southern part of Nigeria is predominantly Christian. The violence is occurring in the villages that are in the overlapping range or the center of the country. This religious line is in an area where both Christians and Muslims are hoping to control.

The Rev. Pandang Yamsat, the president of a local Christian group, said he has urged his congregation not to respond violently to Muslims. However, he said he believes Muslims in the area want to control the region and that any peace talks would only give Muslims “time to conquer territory with swords.”

“We have done our best to tell our members, ‘don’t go and attack Muslims, they are your brother,’” Yamsat said. However, “‘if they come to dislodge you in your place, stand to defend yourself.’”

Residents said herders from nearby hills attacked their village at about 3am on Sunday, shooting into the air before using machetes to cut down those who came out of their homes

Thousands have died in these conflicts that have been waged over the last decade. It appears that the violence is not going to stop any time soon in Africa’s most populous country. This year is already becoming one of the most bloody and it is only March.

Nigerian authorities have arrested nearly a hundred people in connection with attacks near the central city of Jos

Tibet is nestled in the largest mountain range on the planet. It has a mystique about it that has captivated Westerners since their first view from the “Rooftop of the World”. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, is located in the foothills of mount Gephel. The inhabitants of this sacred city share a strong faith in Buddhism and unconditional following for the Dalai Lama. It is in this city that the Tibetan people seek their leadership. Inside the holiest city in Tibetan Buddhism is the governing seat of the Dalai Lama and over a quarter million people. It is a remote population center that is located at one of the highest elevations of any city in the world. The karma of Lhasa is based on over two thousand years of history engulfed in the Tibetan spiritual and cultural history. Lhasa is translated as the “The Holy Land” or “The Land of Buddha”.

Tibet and China: A Historical Perspective

Tibetan History as an independent and sovereign state dates back to the early part of the 7th century. Prior history includes that in 1063 B.C., Five hundred years prior to the arrival of Buddha Sakyamuni into this world, Lord Shenrab Miwo reformed the primitive Shen race and founded the Tibetan Bon religion. After a series of Kings the kingdom known as Bod, the present name of Tibet, came into existence. The lineage of Tibetan monarchy continued for well over a thousand years until King Lang Darma, was assassinated in 842 A.D.. In the prior two centuries to this assassination the Tibetan Empire was at its peak and its armies invaded China and several Central Asian countries. In 763 the Tibetans seized the then Chinese capital at Ch’ang-an (present day Xian). As the Chinese Emperor had fled, the Tibetans appointed a new Emperor. This memorable victory has been preserved for posterity in the Zhol Doring (stone pillar) in Lhasa. It was during his time that Samye, the first monastery in Tibet, was founded by Guru Padmasambhava established the supremacy of Buddhism and converted the indigenous deities into guardians of the Dharma. In 821 China and Tibet ended almost 200 years of fighting with a treaty engraved on three stone pillars, one of which still stands in front of the Jokhang cathedral in Lhasa. The treaty established that both Tibet and China shall keep the country and frontiers of which they are now possessed. The whole region to the East of that being the country of Great China and the whole region to the West being assuredly the country of Great Tibet, from either side there shall be no hostile invasion, and no seizure of territory.

In the 13th century Tibet became part of the Asian Mongol empire. Tibet was able to swoon the Mongols that conquered and ruled China, but allowed Tibet to semi self rule under allegiance and influence to the Mongol Empire. A spiritual relationship with the Mongols developed and even resulted in their aristocracy converting to Buddhism. The Mongols promised to protect Tibet. After the fall of the Mongol Empire , Tibet fell into a state of no central rule. The Manchu Dynasty arrives and in 1720, along with the help of the Tibetan army drove the remnants of the Mongolia army out of the Tibet. The reason Tibet assisted the Manchu was that in prior years much controversy and mistrust began to brew between the ruling Mongols and the Tibetan Buddhist as to whom the new Dalai Lama actually was.

The Tibetans fell under the rule of the Manchu, but as with the Mongols were able for the most part to self rule with allegiance to the Manchu (Ching Dynasty). However this fell through as conflicts arose among Tibetan and the Manchu and a new government was put into place to provide more control for the Ching Dynasty. The Ching Dynasty had other objectives as they sought to expand their growing empire and influence. Over all the Ching Dynasty period brought relative peace to Tibet.

After the Manchu Empire ended, the Chinese government in 1912 officially became the Republic of China. The Chinese troops that were in Tibet over time dwindled away and returned to China proper. Tibet felt that they were once a gain on their own. The foreign Mongols and Manchus armies were gone. Their allegiance was to Tibet only. Tibet felt that their dependent relationship with China ended with the end of Macnhu rule. There was no other army in Tibet other than the Tibetan Army between 1911 and 1950. The important thing to remember is that traditionally, Tibetans only wanted a peaceful land to worship Buddha. Their independence has not been an issue for them since they first accepted Mongol rule centuries before. Western influence, mainly Briton, worked in favor of an independent Tibet in the early part of the twentieth century. The main reason for Briton interests was due to the proximity to British ruled India. In 1913 Mongolia and Tibet signed a treaty proclaiming their independence from China. This is where a problem occurs. There is much dispute about whether the envoys that signed the document were authorized on the Tibetan side to do so on behalf of the Tibetan people.

After WWI China became split into warlord factions and the Tibet issue was lost in the chaos of divisions. There had been no formal delegation from China in Lhasa since 1911. In 1934 however, soon after the 13th Dalai Lama passed on, China restated their pre WWI position that Tibet was part of China but was allowed assert it’s own political affairs as long as they do not conflict with China’s interest.. In 1935 the 14th and current Dalai Lama was born within 4 years he was given the title of the Dalai Lama.

The 14th and Current Dalai Lama was born in 1935 and has been greatly influenced by Western contacts. He has expanded his sympathizers for Chinas occupation of Tibet with each new generation. With the 2008 Olympics quickly approaching many have used the event to protest China’s refusal to recognize Tibet as self ruling.

China and Tibet’s seventeen Point Agreement

In 1950 The Chinese Liberation Army entered into the eastern regions of Tibet and quickly overtook the Tibetan soldiers in the area by surprise. An agreement was accepted by China and Tibet known as the “Seventeen Point Agreement For The Peaceful Liberation of Tibet.” In 1959 prior to fleeing to neighboring India, the Dalai Lama repudiated the treaty based on China’s violation of many points within the agreement.

Text of the ‘Seventeen Point Agreement’ – 23rd May 1951

Agreement on Measures for the Peaceful Liberation of Tibet. Signed and sealed in Beijing on 23 May 1951. The preamble to the agreement stressed that Tibet had a “long history within the boundaries of China,” outlined the aggressive imperialist forces in Tibet that needed to be “successfully eliminated” and claimed that both parties (Tibetans and Chinese People’s Government – CPG) had, as a result of talks, agreed to “establish the agreement and ensure that it be carried into effect.”

1. The Tibetan people shall unite and drive out imperialist aggressive forces from Tibet; the Tibetan people shall return to the big family of the Motherland ­ the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
2. The local government of Tibet shall actively assist the PLA to enter Tibet and consolidate the national defenses.
3. In accordance with the policy towards nationalities laid down in the Common Programme of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Committee, the Tibetan people have the right of exercising national regional autonomy under the unified leadership of the CPG.
4. The central authorities will not alter the existing political system in Tibet. The central authorities also will not alter the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama. Officials of various ranks shall hold office as usual.
5. The established status, functions and powers of the Panchen Ngoerhtehni shall be maintained.
6. By the established status, functions and powers of the Dalai Lama and of the Panchen Ngoerhtehni are meant the status, functions and powers of the thirteenth Dalai Lama and the ninth Panchen Ngoerhtehni when they had friendly and amicable relations with each other.
7. The policy of freedom of religious belief laid down in the common program of the CPPCC shall be carried out. The religious beliefs, customs and habits of the Tibetan people shall be respected and lama monasteries shall be protected. The central authorities will not effect a change in the income of the monasteries.
8. Tibetan troops shall be reorganized step by step into the PLA and become a part of the defense force of the PRC.
9. The spoken and written language and school education of the Tibetan nationality shall be developed step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet.
10. Tibetan agriculture, livestock raising, industry and commerce shall be developed step by step and the people’s livelihood shall be improved step by step in accordance with the actual conditions in Tibet.
11. In matters relating to various reforms in Tibet, there will be no compulsion on the part of the central authorities. The local government of Tibet shall carry out reforms of its own accord, and, when the people raise demands for reform, they shall be settled by means of consultation with the leading personnel of Tibet.
12. In so far as former pro-imperialists and pro-Kuomintang [Guomindang] officials resolutely sever relations with imperialism and the Kuomintang [Guomindang] and do not engage in sabotage or resistance, they may continue to hold office irrespective of their past.
13. The PLA entering Tibet shall abide by all the above-mentioned policies and shall also be fair in all buying and selling and shall not arbitrarily take a needle or thread from the people.
14. The CPG shall have centralized handling of all external affairs of the area of Tibet; and there will be peaceful co-existence with neighboring countries and establishment and development of fair commercial and trading relations with them on the basis of equality, mutual benefit and mutual respect for territory and sovereignty.
15. In order to ensure the implementation of this agreement, the CPG shall set up a Military and Administrative Committee and a Military Area HQ in Tibet and – apart from the personnel sent there by the CPG – shall absorb as many local Tibetan personnel as possible to take part in the work. Local Tibetan personnel taking part in the Military and Administrative Committee may include patriotic elements from the local government of Tibet, various districts and various principal monasteries; the name list shall be set forth after consultation between the representatives designated by the CPG and various quarters concerned and shall be submitted to the CPG for appointment.
16. Funds needed by the military and Administrative Committee, the Military Area HQ and the PLA entering Tibet shall be provided by the CPG. The local government of Tibet should assist the PLA in the purchase and transport of food, fodder and other daily necessities.
17. This agreement shall come into force immediately after signature and seals are affixed to it.

Signed and sealed by the delegates of the CPG with full powers by Chief Delegate Li Weihan (Chairman of the Commission of Nationalities Affairs) and three delegates. Delegates with full powers of the local government of Tibet by Chief Delegate Kaloon Ngabou Ngawang Jigme (Ngabo Shape) and four delegates.

China and Tibet: China Takes over Tibet

The “Seventeen Point Agreement” of 1951 officially incorporated Tibet into China. Lhasa, the Dalai Lama controlled area, was to be a highly autonomous area where where the Dalai Lama was still a symbol of not only religion but also one of local governing. According to the Chinese government, Tibetan rule had left many Tibetans in poor living conditions and had not kept pace with the modernization within the rest of China. They further stated that Tibet’s religious rule had inhibited growth and development and inhibited modernizations efforts brought forth by the Chinese government. In essence, Tibet was not allowing it’s citizens opportunity to benefit from modern forms of living. It kept Tibetans isolated with limited resources and opportunity. The Chinese Government acted against the nobles and monasteries, land was taken away from them and redistributed among the serfs that worked for their masters previously under the former Tibetan rule. Rebellions occurred and thousands of Tibetans lost their lives in the conflict. The fighting had gotten so fierce that in the end the Dalai Lama and other government officials left Tibet for safety in India. The Chinese Government responded to the rebellions by taking away the autonomous rule in all sectors of Tibet including Lhasa. The only government in Lhasa was the Chinese Government from there forward. Guerrilla warfare by Tibetan rebels continued the fight against the Chinese troops in Tibet well into the early seventies.
In the end, there are many sides to the history of Tibet. There are arguments for both sides Human rights activists have stated that under the People’s Republic of China’s rule many Tibetans have suffered as a result of converting Tibet to state socialism. China itself has stated that the modernizing of Tibet is crucial for the inhabitants that live in the region and says that modern Tibet is an improvement to the Tibet of the past. More services and modernization is affecting the lives of Tibetans in a positive way.
The Dalai Lama has been quoted in the past saying that Tibet is willing to be a part of China and allow it to govern as long as it guarantees to protect Tibetan culture, spirituality, and environment. His vision of Tibet is one of religious reawakening , a place of peace and tranquility. A refuge for souls needing to have inner peace. In September 1987 His Holiness proposed the Five Point Peace Plan for Tibet as the first step towards a peaceful solution to the worsening situation in Tibet. He envisaged that Tibet would become a sanctuary; a zone of peace at the heart of Asia, where all sentient beings can exist in harmony and the delicate environment can be preserved. Hopefully in our time Tibet and China can come to an understanding. An understanding that the Dalai Lama and Tibet are rare forms and are an asset to possess within China’s border. We live in a world of exterminating cultures, to possess one as unique as this is a treasure.

Holy War

A holy war is a war declared or fought for a religious or high moral purpose, as to extend or defend a religion.

According to Islamic tradition, it was in Mecca at age 40, in the month of Rammadan, where Muhammad received his first revelation from God. Three years after this event, Muhammad began preaching these revelations publicly, proclaiming that “God is One”, that complete “surrender” to Him is man’s religion and that he was a prophet and messenger of God, in the same vein as Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jesus and other prophets before him.

Muhammad gained few followers early on, and was largely met with hostility from the tribes of Mecca; he was treated harshly and so were his followers. To escape persecution, Muhammad and his followers migrated to Medina in the year 622. This historic event, the Hiijra, marks the beginning of the Islamic Calendar. In Medina, Muhammad managed to unite the conflicting tribes, and after eight years of fighting with the Meccan tribes, his followers, who by then had grown to ten thousand, conquered Mecca. By 632, the year Muhammad dies, most of Arabia had converted to Islam.

It was manifestly the thought of Abu Bekr, the successor of Mohammed, that a campaign of conquest was intended by his chief and that the responsibility of carrying out that intention rested upon him.

An army was dispatched to Syria, the first of a series of remarkable campaigns in which, under his successors, Syria, Persia, and North Africa were conquered. The ancient kingdom of Persia was overrun and some of the fairest provinces of the Roman Empire were seized. the disciples with irresistible zeal carried their faith and sway throughout Arabia, across Syria, Egypt, Tunis, Tripoli, Algeria, Morocco, and into Spain. At the same time Persia was brought under the sway of the prophet, while preachers of Islam were making converts in Canton and Western China and in parts of India.

It is impossible here to explain at length or to attempt a description m detail of the tremendous energy and enthusiasm of the armies of Islam, as they swept with fanatical energy and zeal, North, East and West, conquering everything that blocked their way and creating within a century after the death of the prophet an empire greater in extent than that of Rome at the height of its power. It is probably true that, in most if not in every instance of conquest, the offer of Islam was made to the unbelievers. If they accepted, they were expected to join the ranks of the invaders. If they refused to embrace the religion of their threatening foe, they might be put to the sword or compelled to pay heavy tribute for the privilege of continuing to live. Even to the present day, this custom of an annual tax to a Mohammedan Government is in practice and is required of all non-Moslem subjects that they may have the right to live. It is called the life tax.

Mecca and Medina

The first battle between the Muslims of Medina and the tribes of Mecca in 624, took place near Badr, a small town southwest of Medina. This first battle had several important effects. In the first place, the Muslim forces were outnumbered three to one as they routed the Meccans. Secondly, the discipline displayed by the Muslims brought home to the Meccans, perhaps for the first time, the abilities of the man they had previously treated harshly for his beliefs.

A year later the tribes of Mecca sought revenge and attacked Medina. A fiersome army of three thousand men crossed paths with Muhammad’s Muslims at Uhud, a ridge outside Medina. The Muslims were largely defeated and the Prophet himself was wounded. Two years later a 10,000 man army attacked the Muslim Medina again to finally finish them off. It didn’t end that way though. At the Battle of the Trench, also known as the Battle of the Confederates, the Muslims scored a decisive victory by introducing a new form of defense. On the side of Medina from which attack was expected they dug a trench too deep for the Meccan cavalry to clear without exposing itself to the archers posted behind objects on the Medina side. After an inconclusive siege, the Meccans were forced to retire. Thereafter Medina was entirely in the hands of the Muslims once again.

Following the Battle of the Trench, Muhammad effectively built up a series of alliances among the tribes with the Bedouins and by 628 he and fifteen hundred followers and was able to demand access to the Ka’bah during negotiations with the Meccans. This was a milestone in the history of the Muslims. A year later, in 629, he reentered and conquered Mecca without bloodshed and in a spirit of tolerance which established an ideal for future conquests. He also destroyed the idols in the Ka’bah, to put an end forever to pagan practices there. At the same time Muhammad won the allegiance of ‘Amr ibn al-’As, the future conqueror of Egypt, and Khalid ibn al-Walid, the future “Sword of God,” both of whom embraced Islam and joined Muhammad. From the oasis cities of Makkah and Madinah in the Arabian desert, the message of Islam went forth with electrifying speed.

Spreading “The Message”

Arab tribes rebelled against Abu Bakr after he took leadership. The tribes, refusing to follow or answer to anyone other than Muhammad. Many proponents to the new leadership believed that Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad should have been appointed their leader. This belief led to the Shia sect of the Muslim religion. Abu Bakr insisted that allegiance to Muhammad meant loyalty to the Muslim state, of which he was the new head. This was the start of the Ridda Wars where Muslims reclaimed control and cleansed the budding empire. After restoring power and control of Arabia Abu Bakr directed his eyes toward the Byzantine and Sassanid empires.

 Conquest of Persia: 633-651  Early in 634, Caliph Abu Bakr issued summons for holy war and sent a force under the great Khalid to attack lower Iraq. He routed the Persian detachment and received the submission of the Arab Christians of Hira and fortress of Anbar. At this time Khalid was withdrawn from the Persian front and was ordered to proceed to Syria. General Muthanna remained on the front to deal with a vigorous Persian counter-offensive, led by the Sassanid General Rustom. Near the ruins of Babylon, he fell upon the Mujahideen. Persian elephants spread terror among Mujahideen cavalry and the ‘ Battle of Bridge ‘ (Nov. 634) ended in a disastrous setback to Muslims, injuring .Muthanna fatally and he died later Sa’ad ibn Abi Wakkas, a seasoned warrior, who had fought at Badar and Uhud, was given the assignment of Persia by Caliph Omar. Rustom marched out of Ctesiphon and Mujahideen on the plain of Kadisiya, near Hira. The battle which was fought for four days in 637, was won by Mujahideen as Muslim lancers had discovered how to deal with the elephants by firing at their eyes and trunks. Rustom was killed. Beaten army retreated to Ctesiphon but the capital was ill fitted to stand a siege. The King and the court fled to Hulwan and Muslims occupied Ctesiphon, one of the finest cities in Asia, almost without resistance. Sa’ad pursued the enemy across the Tigris, beat Persians at Jalula and drove King Yazdegird from Hulwan also. Yazdegird who had retired to holy city Ray and there summoned the nation to a crusade against Muslims, Persians moved from Ray through Hamadan to Tigris. At Nihavand they encountered with Mujahideen, from the garrison of Basra and Kufa. Persians were completely routed. Later, Aizerbaijan was also conquered by Muslims  The Persians were defeated decisively in 637 and their empire was so overrun in the next few years that by 643 the boundaries of the Caliphate touched the frontiers of India. In the west the Byzantine province of Egypt had fallen in 640-641. and territories of Inner Mongolia, Bukhara, Tashkand and Samarqand were annexed by 650.

 Byzantine-Arab Wars: 634-750  Islam’s first caliph Abu Bakr dies at Medina August 23 at age 61 and is succeeded by Mohammed’s 52-year-old adviser Omar (or Umar), whom he has selected and who will reign until 644, conquering Syria, Persia, and Egypt in a “holy war” against the Byzantine empire which was the far eastern part of the former Roman Empire. This was the prelude to the Crusades.

 The Siege of Constantinople n 674 was a major conflict of the Byzantine-Arab Wars, and was one of the numerous times Constantinople’s defenses were tested.  The battle was fought by the Muslim Umayyad Caliph.   In this battle, the Umayyads, unable to breach the Theodosian walls, blockaded the city along the River  Bosporus. The approach of winter forced the Muslims to withdraw to an island 80 miles away.  The Byzantine Empire unleashed a devastating new weapon that came to be known as “Greek Fire”,  at the Battle of Syllaeum , the Byzantine Naval ships  utilized it to decisively defeat the Umayyad navy, lifting the siege in 678.  This victory ended the Umayyad expansion towards Europe for almost thirty years.

 Conquest of Ancient Transoxiana: 662-709  During the war with the Persian Empire the new nation of Islam had internal conflicts that resulted in basic civil war among factions over the who should lead the faith. Ali had taken the role and had been assassinated   In the end this eventually led to the Umayyad dynasty of Caliphs.  After the long war in Persia the Muslim religion conquest moved northeast and the army of Islam spread “the message” to modern day Iran, Afghanistan and into Uzbeckistan.  Transoxiana is an obsolete name used for the portion of  Central Asia corresponding approximately with modern-day Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and southwest Kazakhstan . Geographically, it means the region between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers.  Afghanistan proved to be an area of resistance for the Muslim Army.  The Arabs were unable to succeed in converting the population because of constant revolts from the mountain tribes in the Afghan area.  The Pushtun tribes of Afghanistan and Pakistan were slow to convert and continued to live and follow their life based on their set codes of honor.

 Conquest of Sindh: 664-712  Province of southeastern Pakistan. It is bordered by the provinces of Balochistan on the west and north, Punjab on the northeast, the Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat to the east, and the Arabian Sea to the south. Sindh is essentially part of the Indus River delta and has derived its name from that river, which is known in Pakistan as the Sindhu.   By 232 BCE, the region came under the Greco- Bactrians based in modern day Afghanistan. The leaders who were very much influenced by the Hellenistic Greeks culture and also Buddhism.  The rulers converted to Buddhism and spread it in the region.  Sindh was heavily influenced from everyone from the Huns to the Persians and each had some form of control in the area.  This all changed with the arrival of the Muslim Forces that conquered the local Hindu King and took control of Sindh.  The Caliphate Umar was notified of the poor condition of the conquered people and he stopped the conquest at the Indus River Valley.  Later Muslim leaders also stopped future invasions as the geography and people seemed to be nonessential to the Muslim Empire.  The Arabs redefined the region and adopted the term budd to refer to the numerous Buddhist idols they encountered.  The Muslim invasion coincided with the conquest of Central Asia. Muhammad bin Qasim led  led the army and conquered all of what is today Pakistan and was in Kashmir after only three years of conquest.

 Conquest of Iberian Peninsula (Hispania): 711-718  During this period the Muslim Empire looked Westward toward modern day Spain and Portugal. Led by the Moors (African and Arab Muslim), the Muslim empire in eight years defeated the Germanic Goths and Christians who had ruled the area since the weakened rule of the Roman empire over 2oo years prior.

 Conquest of the Caucasus: 711-750  Caucasus is the region in Eurasia bordered in the North by what is modern Russia and in the Southwest by Turkey. To the West is the Black Sea and to the  East the Caspian Sea.  The South of the Area is modern day Iran.  It was a logical expansion for the Muslim Empire considering the previous conquests.  There were many battles waged in this region between the Muslim Arabs and the Khazar people.  Even though Khazars were excellent warriors and imposed their rule over several warlike peoples, Khazaria was one of the most pacific states in the world, and had the most advanced justice system. Far from being an expansionist state, has played a role of fundamental importance in stopping Muslim expansionism. Indeed, Arabs conquered westwards all the North-African lands up to the Atlantic Ocean and ruled over Spain, having even crossed the Pyrenees, but they were unable to enlarge their northern border and cross over the Caucasus, because they were repeatedly defeated by the Khazars in the Khazar-Arab wars (7th and 8th centuries c.e.). Khazaria prevented Islam from spreading north of the Caucasus Mountains and as a result of this, all of Eastern Europe was not overrun by the Arabs and become Islamic. The Khazar people were an unusual phenomenon for Medieval times. Surrounded by savage and nomadic tribes, they had all the advantages of the developed countries: structured government, vast and prosperous trading, and a permanent army.

End of the Umayyad Caliphate: 718-750     The Umayyad Muslims established a military government in Syria and used the country primarily as a base of operations. They lived aloof from the people and at first made little effort to convert Christians to Islam. The Umayyads administered the lands in the manner of the Byzantines, giving complete authority to provincial governors.  During the 89 years of Umayyad rule, most Syrians became Muslims, and the Arabic language replaced Aramaic. The Umayyads minted coins, built hospitals, and constructed underground canals to bring water to the towns. The country prospered both economically and intellectually. Foreign trade expanded, and educated Jews and Christians, many of them Greek, found employment in the Caliphal courts, where they studied and practiced medicine, alchemy, and philosophy.  The Umayyads saw a great expansion of Islamic empire and were responsible for building a highly efficient and lasting governmental structure. The Umayyad caliphs could be startlingly brilliant both militarily and politically. And there is no question, that Islamic material and artistic culture has its roots in the Umayyad dynasty and the courts of Umayyad power.   The first Umayyad caliph, Mu’awiyya, also introduced a new method of selecting caliphs. The caliphate was a unique institution in that the caliph was elected by a small group of powerful tribal leaders. Mu’awiyya convinced the most powerful to recognize his son, Yazid, as the next caliph. Technically, Yazid was still elected; in reality, he was selected by his father to succeed him. This would become the model of caliphal succession—the reigning caliph would name his successor and the notable would elect that named successor. So the Umayyad caliphate was essentially a hereditary dynasty. It is for this reason that Islamic historians do not call the Umayyad period a caliphate, but rather use the term “kingdom” 

With the death of Mu’awiyya in 680 and the succession of his son, Yazid, a second civil war broke out with the followers of ‘Ali. Yazid had some of the administrative effectiveness of Mu’awiyya, but none of the moral restraint and certainly no portion of the hilm that characterized his father. Anxious to force ‘Ali’s son, Husayn, to recognize his authority, Yazid eventually killed Husayn and a handful of his followers at Karbala in Iraq   The Arabian people were by now scattered all over the Islamic world. Two tribes based in Syria, the Qays and the Kalb, rallied around two separate candidates for caliph: Marwan ibn al-Hakam and Ibn al-Zubayr. A bitter war was fought between the two tribes and Marwan, backed by the Kalbites, became caliph in 684 and founded a new Umayyad dynasty. But because he died a year later, the reconquest of Islamic lands would fall to his son ‘Abd al-Malik, who ruled from 685 to 705 (65-86 AH). When ‘Abd al-Malik became caliph, all of Arabia was under the control of his rival, Ibn al-Zubayr, while much of Iraq had fallen under the control of a rebel named al-Mukhtar. al-Mukhtar was defeated by Ibn al-Zubayr and, in 692, ‘Abd al-Malik defeated Ibn al-Zubayr at Mecca. So desperate was he for victory, that he showered Mecca and the Ka’aba with catapults and freely destroyed the holy place.  His victory cemented Umayyad control over Islam; however, both the Shi’a and the Kharjites would remain powerful oppositional forces.

None of the remaining Marwani caliphs enjoyed long reigns except for Hisham, who ruled from 724-744 (105-132). During this period, the Muslims expanded out of Spain and into France until their advance was finally stopped by the Franks in 736.

When Hisham died in 743, the empire collapsed into a series of rebellions mostly by disaffected non-Arabs and by the Kharjites. It was one such rebellious group, the ‘Abassids, that would finally overthrow the dynasty. The ‘Abassids were descendants of al-Abbas, the paternal uncle of Muhammad. Like the followers of ‘Ali and the Kharjites, the ‘Abassids believed that the spirit of Islam had been betrayed by the secular-minded Umayyads—as relatives of Muhammad, their pietism had a concrete character to it.

It was when the ‘Abassids allied themselves with the ‘Alids that the death-knell of Umayyad power was sounded. With their combined forces, they defeated the last of the Marwani calphis, Marwan II (744-750/127-32), who was later murdered. The leader of the ‘Abassids, Abu’l-’Abbas, went about systematically and ruthlessly killing as many Umayyads as he could find.  

The ‘Abassid Caliphate (758-1258) was founded on two disaffected Islamic populations: non-Arabic Muslims and Shi’ites. For the most part, the Islamic impetus to the Abassid revolution lay in the secularism of the Umayyad caliphs. The Umayyads had always been outsiders—as a wealthy clan in Mecca, they had opposed Muhammad—and the secularism and sometime degeneracy that accompanied their caliphate delegitimized their rule for many devout Muslims.  What made the ‘Abassid seizure of the caliphate unique was the heavy reliance on client Muslims, or mawali. The mawali were foreigners who had converted to Islam; because, however, they were foreigners they could not be incorporated into the kinship-based society of Arabs. They had to be voluntarily included into the protection of a clan, that is, they had to become “clients” of the clan (which is what the word mawali means). For the most part, they were second-class citizens even though they were Muslims.   By the beginning of the ninth century, the caliph’s control over the Islamic world was beginning to crumble. It was into this increasingly bleak picture that al-Mamun suddenly appeared.

al-Mamun seized the caliphate in 813.  He tried to incorporate Shi’ites into the Islamic government, but his entire reign was spent in quelling disturbances among Shi’ites and anti-Shi’ites.  There are, however, two great innovations that irrevocably changed the course of Islamic history.

 1.  The first was a military revolution begun by his brother, al-Mu’tasim. The constant revolutions and the deep division in Islamic society convinced al-Ma’mun that he needed a military force whose only loyalty was to him. So his brother, who would later become caliph (833-842 / 218-27), assembled a military force of slaves, called Mamluks. Many of the Mamluks were Turkish, who were famous for the horsemanship. But the Mamluk military also consisted of Slavs and some Berbers. By the middle of al-Wathiq’s reign, the Mamluk army had completely displaced the Arabian and Persian army under the caliph.

 2.  More importantly, al-Ma’mun energetically patronized Greek, Sanskrit and Arabic learning and so altered the cultural and intellectual face of Islam. He adopted a radical theological position, called Mu’tazilism, which was regarded as somewhat heretical by more orthodox Muslims. Nevertheless, Mu’tazilism had as one of its fundamental beliefs the idea that Muslims should obey a single ruler. In order to facilitate the spread of Mu’tazilite teaching, al-Ma’mun established a university, the House of Wisdom (Bayt al-Hikma ).

 Conquest of Sudan: 700-900  Muslim expansion  looked toward Africa again and the Armies of Islam conquered Sudan between the 7th and 9th centuries. Sudan’s history goes back thousands of years before Christ and is almost as old as the Nile itself. The Cush kingdom of the Old Testament was located in present-day northern Sudan, and for thousands of years the center of power along the Nile shifted between Egypt and Sudan. The sixth century saw the rise of Christianity in Sudan.  The Sudanese had a large Christian population that over time converted from Christianity to Islam. 

 Conquest of Italy: 831-902  In 831, the Arabs conquered Palermo and in 902 they conquered Taormina, ending the conquest of Sicily. They likewise established their presence on the peninsula, especially on the Garigliano and in Bari. The story of the incessant conflicts of the states of the Mezzogiorno is chaotic until the arrival of the Normans in the early eleventh century (1016). Under their leadership, the Christians of the south found themselves eventually united, the Arabs expelled, and the whole Mezzogiorno subjugated to the Hauteville dynasty of kings of Sicily (1130).

 Conquest of Anatolia: 1060-1360  Because of its location at the point where the continents of Asia and Europe meet, Anatolia was, from the beginnings of civilization, a crossroads for numerous peoples migrating or conquering from either continent.  One of the great crossroads of ancient civilizations is a broad peninsula that lies between the Black and Mediterranean seas. Called Asia Minor (Lesser Asia) by the Romans, the land is the Asian part of modern Turkey, across Thrace. It lies across the Aegean Sea to the east of Greece and is usually known by its Greek name Anatolia.  Contacts between the Turks and Arabs commenced at the beginning of the 8th century and some of the Turks began to favour Islam. However the pro-Arab policies of the Omayads (661-750 A.D) restricted these relations somewhat. Later, many Moslem Turks took office in the Abbside government and because of this, great interest in the Islamic world spread among the Turks beyond the River Ceyhun. Commercial caravans also played a major role in the spread of Islam into the steppes of Central Asia. The Turks became fully Moslem by the 10th century, and this resulted in the achievement to political unity. Following these developments, the first Moslem Turkish state was formed by the Karahans.  The year 1071 is considered to be the beginning of the Turks and that of Islam Anatolia. It is following this date that the Turks fully conquered the whole of Anatolia and established the Anatolian Seljuk state there as a part of the great Seljuk Empire.

 Byzantine-Ottoman Wars: 1299-1453  A series of battles were waged between the Islamic Turks and Byzantines that led to the end of the Byzantine Empire.  The Byzantine Empire was spread thin in regional conflicts with Serbia, the Latin Empire and others.  This proved to be an advantageous opportunity for the Islamic Turks to expel the Byzantine Armies out of the region and bring an end to the empire. The Byzantine empire, ruling from Constantinople, whose emperor at this time was Alexius Comnenus. To his East, the Turks were rapidly encroaching on his empire, and had begun attacking pilgrims on their way to – and in – Jerusalem. He wrote to his friend Robert, the Count of Flanders, in 1093, telling him about supposed atrocities committed by the Turks on the Christian pilgrims, and Robert passed this letter on to Pope Urban II. Urban, an opportunist, saw this as a perfect way to solve some of his problems. He personally promoted a Holy Crusade to reclaim the Holy Lands from the barbarian Turks. Thus, the First Crusade was launched in 1096 As the death of the Byzantine rule was  realized the birth of the Ottoman Empire had occurred.  As the Ottoman Turks began taking land from the Empire, they were seen as liberators of Anatolians and many soon converted to Islam undermining the Byzantine’s Orthodox power base.  The Crusades were first undertaken in 1096 and ended in the late 13th century. The term Crusade was originally applied solely to European efforts to retake from the Muslims the city of Jerusalem, which was sacred to Christians as the site of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. It was later used to designate any military effort by Europeans against non-Christians.  The Ottomans were able to raise large numbers of troops. Initially, their raiding gave them great support from other Turks near Osman’s small domain. In time however, as the Turks began to settle in land poorly defended by the Byzantines, they were able to exploit the hardships of the peasant classes by recruiting their aid. Those that did not assist the Ottomans were raided themselves. Eventually, the cities in Asia Minor, cut off from the outside surrendered and the Ottomans soon mastered the art of siege warfare.  The fall of Constantinople came as a shock to the Papacy which ordered an immediate counter-attack in the form of a crusade. Only Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy responded but under the condition that a powerful Monarch assist him. None would do so.  Pope Pius II then ordered another crusade. Again, no substantial efforts were seen by any of Europe’s major leaders of the time. This forced the Pope himself to lead a Crusade. His death in 1464 led to the disbanding of the Crusade at the port of Ancona.  Constantinople remained under Ottoman Empire control and is only known as the name provided by the Turkish people themselves as Istanbul.  The Ottoman empire lasted until 1922.  The gateway to the Holy Lands was under Muslim Control.

Further conquests: 1200-1800

In 1250, the short-lived Ayyubid dynasty (established by Saladin) was overthrown by slave regiments, and a new dynasty – the Mamluks – was born. The Mamluks soon expanded into Palestine, expelled the remaining Crusader states and repelled the Mongols from invading Syria. Thus they united Syria and Egypt for the longest period of time between the Abbasid and Ottoman empires (1250-1517).

What’s the Difference Between Shia and Sunni Muslims?

The Facts:

Basic History That Led To The Division of Islam

Unlike Christianity, whose major split did not occur for nearly sixteen centuries when the Catholic and Protestant division occurred, Islam split almost immediately after the death of its founder, the Prophet Muhammad (570 – 632 CE).  Muslims are divided into two main branches, the Sunnis and Shiites. The division originated in a dispute soon after the death of the Prophet Muhammad over who should lead the Muslims.  The two share fundamental beliefs  including the “oneness”  of Allah, that Muhammad was the last prophet, prayer, fasting and the pilgrimage to Mecca,  but there are differences in doctrine, ritual, law, theology and religious organization. 

In early Islamic history the Shia were a political faction – literally “Shiat Ali” or the party of Ali. The Shia claimed the right of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and his descendants were to lead the Islamic community.  Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself.  Ali was killed in a power struggle over who should be caliph, leader of the Muslims. His sons also struggled to capture the caliphate – Hussein died on the battlefield opposing a subsequent caliph and Hassan is believed to have been poisoned.  These events gave rise to the Shia cult of martyrdom and the rituals of grieving.

After the prophet’s death on June 8, 632, a gathering of his followers met at Medina and proclaimed Abu Bakr (kinsman, companion, and early convert of Muhammad) caliph, or political leader. The claim stemmed from his close relationship with Muhammad, and the fact that Muhammad had asked Abu Bakr to lead in prayers when he was too ill to do so himself. Those who recognize Abu Bakr and his three immediate successors, called the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs, are referred to as Sunni Muslims

Sunni Muslims counter that there is no basis in Islam for a hereditary privileged class of spiritual leaders, and certainly no basis for the veneration or intercession of saints. Sunni Muslims contend that leadership of the community is not a birthright, but a trust that is earned and which may be given or taken away by the people themselves.

The Major Sects Of Islam:

Sunnis   considered the more “orthodox” believers. Sunnis follow all of the most traditional beliefs and actions. The word Sunni comes from “Ahl al-Sunna”, the people of the tradition. The tradition in this case refers to practices based on precedent or reports of the actions of the Prophet Muhammad and those close to him.  Sunnis venerate all the prophets mentioned in the Koran, but particularly Muhammad as the final prophet. All subsequent Muslim leaders are seen as temporal figures.  In contrast to Shias, Sunni religious teachers and leaders have historically come under state control.

Shi’ites  In early Islamic history the Shia were a political faction – literally “Shiat Ali” or the party of Ali. The Shia claimed the right of Ali, the son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, and his descendants to lead the Islamic community “the party of Ali”,  supported Ali’s claims to the caliphate. Over time, they became the largest non-Sunni sect in Islam. They are also known as followers of “Ahl-al-Bayt” or “People of the Household” (of the Prophet). There is a distinctive messianic element to the faith and Shias have a hierarchy of clerics who practice independent and ongoing interpretation of Islamic texts.

Sufis    preserved more of the spiritual and mystical aspects. This is in contrast to the mainstream of Islam which, through its first centuries, was more concerned with the expansion and organization of Islam.

Kahrijites   “to go out”  they were the first Muslim dissidents and rebels, dating back to the dawn of Islam. Like later dissidents, they chose to separate themselves from the main body of believers, feeling that the majority of Muslims had lost the “true path.”

Wahhabis  named after Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, considered the first modern Islamic fundamentalist.  His reform movement polarized the idea that absolutely every idea added to Islam after the third century of the Muslim era was false and should be eliminated. Wahhabis are a strict traditionalist tradition which is dominant on the Arabian peninsula, but has little support elsewhere.

Ismailis   An early Shi’a sect which split from the main group because of a dispute over who should be considered the next Imam.

Zaidis   Founded by Zaid, a grandson of Husain, the Zaidis believe that an Imam must publicly assert his claim to the title and seek to overthrow a corrupt regime run by unacceptable rulers.

Fatimids  The Fatimids began a movement after the establishment of the Isma’ilis and are descendants of Fatima and Ali through the line of Isma’il. Their descendants asserted themselves as caliphs in North Africa, and ruled Egypt from 969 to 1171.

Nizari  This sect is actually well known around the world as the the Assassins.

Alawis  known as Nusayris, the Alawis, “followers of Ali”, are a branch of Isma’ilism which has gone so far along its own path that many Muslims no longer even regard it as a form of Islam. 

Druze   another sect not widely regarded as being “truly” Muslim. This group diverged from mainstream Islam in the eleventh century when some Isma’ilis started to believe that God manifested himself in the personality of a prophet or imam.

Baha’i  a movement which is descended from Islam, but most Muslims today no longer regard as authentically Islamic.

Islam: Background

Islam is one of the great monotheistic religions. The religion is set forth in the Koran which teaches that there is but one God and Muhammad is his prophet. The word is also used to describe the civilization and countries in which the Islamic religion dominates. Islam developed a rich often tolerant society. Scholars pursued science, mathematics, literature, and art. Much of this was based on major precepts of the Koran. One of those precepts was tolerance for other civilizations and religions, especially People of the Book. Today many of these basic precepts of Islam are questioned by Fundamentalist Islamic scholars.

Muslim scholars would not say that Mohammed founded Islam. Muslims consider Adam, Noah, Solomon, David ,Moses and Jesus all as Muslims and as part of their faith mentioned in the Quran?” While Islam is a major religion, it is much more than just a religion as the modern Western world has come to understand the concept. Islam is a life style with a comprehensive social, political and it’s own legal system. The Koran is a holy book which Islam maintains was delivered to the prophet Mohammed by the Angel Gabriel. Mohammed thus conveyed the Koran to mankind which is why he is often referred to as the Messenger. Muslims do not believe that the Koran was written by Mohammed , but rather a copy of the book that has existed in heaven since the beginning of time. The Koran to most Muslims is timeless. This of course means that no passage of the Koran can be questioned. Ramadan is the most important celebration of the year to all Muslims. It commemorates the first revelation of the holy Koran. The term Sharia simply means Islamic law. Sharia is derived from the Koran and other Islamic holy works and precedents. The essential difference between Sharia and Western secular law is that the separation of church and state in the West. Sharia developed in the Medieval caliphate where as it was a theocracy there was no distinction between religion and state, the Caliphate was an Islamic state. Sharia regulates both public and private relations and merges government, law and religion.

Mohammed: The Prophet of Islam

Mohammed was born some time around 570 AD. He grew up in a trading community and was influenced by the many religious traditions of the Middle East. He came to see himself as God’s final prophet. The Arabian Peninsula at the time was racked by warring tribes. Mohammed’s family belonged to the Fihr or Quarish/Koreish tribe. This was the dominant tribe in the southern Hijas (Hedjaz) around Mecca. Even before the advent of Islam, Mecca was both the major religious and commercial center in the Arabian peninsula. The Fihr acquired considerable prestige from their role as guardians of the Kaaba in Mecca. The Kaaba even before Islam was an object of reverance among the Arab tribes who visited Mecca in annual pilgrimages leaving offerings and tributes. Mohammed married Khadija who was a wealthy widow. Mohammed had religious visions which were set down in the Koran.

 Mohammed tried to convert his tribe in Mecca, but was rejected. Two exceptions were Ali, his son-in-law who married his daughter Fatima, and Abu Bakr. When the people in Mecca tried to kill him, he fled to Medina (622 AD), This is known as the Hegira. Islam bases its calendar on the Hegira. Safe in Medina, Mohammed created a theocratic state based on Islam. War with Mecca followed until Mohammed returned in triumph (630 AD). The prestige of the Fihr was important to Mohammed when he began his religious reform and political effort which led to the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula and the joining of the various tribes into a single Arab nation with a common religion and legal code a common sacred sanctuary. As an older man Mohammed acquired additional wives, including Ayesha.

The Spread of Islam in the Middle East

At the birth of Mohammed, in the year 570 A.D., the civilized part of Western Asia was divided between two empires, both of them of enormous strength, the Persian empire and the Roman empire of Constantinople. They were enemies of each other and were in constant conflict. The Middle East was at times the border between them and was sometimes subject to one and sometimes to the other. The Roman Empire was Christian, but as distance increased from the center, the character of the Christianity professed by its subjects was corrupted by conflicting heresies so that the essential character of the teachings of Jesus Christ was distorted almost beyond recognition. There was constant revolt against the established religion and control from Constantinople, and to this was added the unrest which the inhabitants of Arabia manifested under Roman political power. It is manifest that neither the religious nor the political power of Constantinople held firm band on the thought and life of the inhabitants of the Arabian peninsula. Their natural political attitude was that of rebellion, and their religious attitude that of heresy.

On the other hand, the religion of Persia had developed into a kind of dualism, represented by the spirit of light, Ormuzd, and the spirit of evil, Ahriman. The Sun was venerated as the symbol of the power of light, accompanied by a superstitious worship of fire and of the heavenly bodies; while the spirit of evil or darkness became almost personified as the force to be resisted. The Arab, being subject first to one and then to the other of these powerful neighbors, caught some fragments of the religion represented by each. Zoroastrianism and Christianity, while there were many colonies of Jews who had settled there before the time of Christ and who represented the Jewish faith.

This barren development of early Semitic( ancient Middle East) religion had its center in the temple in the sacred city of Mecca. The holy black stone, an aerolite from heaven, said by tradition to be a relic of an earlier temple built by Abraham and Ishmael, had sacred connections with Paradise. It was supposed to have been given to Adam and to have been an object of veneration to the day of Mohammed. In the city of Mecca was also the holy spring, Zem Zem, which, according to tradition, broke forth to save Hagar and Ishmael from perishing of thirst, and to this the devout Arab came to worship the God of Abraham.  Just before the rise of Mohammed there had developed a dissatisfaction with the religion among the more reflective and discerning of the inhabitants of Mecca and the surrounding areas.  The opportunity then was favorable to weld the jarring elements of life in Arabia itself into a compact body; then proceed to annex to it the great neighboring Empire of Persia, already prostrate by its rival; and finally to subdue the weakened fringes of that very rival, the Roman Empire. This was the work of Mohammed.

Mohammed endeavored to propagate his new religion by persuasion rather than by force. His was a quiet, persistent search for favorable soil in which to sow the seed. After only eight years at Medina, when success had crowned his armed campaigns, the prophet is reported to have addressed a manifesto to the world inviting all mankind to submit to Islam. Ambassadors were sent to present these messages in person. Tradition declares that this message was as follows, quoting from the one said to have been sent to Emperor Heraclius:

In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, Mohammed, who is the servant of God and his apostle to Herclius the Emperor of Rome. Peace be on whoever has gone on the straight road. After this I say, verily I call you to Islam. Embrace Islam and God will reward you two-fold. If you turn away from the offer of Islam, then on you be the sins of your people. O people of the Book, come towards a creed that is fit both for us and for you. It is this – worship none but God and not to associate anything with God, and not to call others God. Therefore, O ye people of the Book, if ye refuse, beware. We are Muslims and our religion is Islam.”

This would indicate that Mohammed saw a vision of world conquest for his new religion, and so began by asking certain sovereigns to accept him as a prophet Of God, and inviting all the world to the same privilege. From this time onward, the sword played a large part in the dissemination of Islam.

It must be borne in mind that there is no distinctive Moslem race or people. While Mohammed was an Arab, as were the early converts, no attempt was instituted to make Islam an ethnic religion. Jews were among the early converts, and as conquests increased, other races were added and intermarriage followed, since Islam claimed to recognize no race or class. To the present time, willing or enforced conversions from among Christian and other people have produced a mixture that bears the marks of a great variety of contributing races. Probably today the Arabs present the purest Moslem race, while Mohammedans in China are mostly Chinese.

There is basically three periods in the spread of Islam, the first, from the death of Mohammed (632 A.D.) to 800 A.D.; the second, covering the Ottoman and Mongol period, from 1280 to 1480 A.D., and the third from 1780 to the present time. These may be called the Apostolic period of rapid expansion, the Medieval period of centralization, and the Modern period of mystical revival and of national decline.

During the first, or Apostolic period, the disciples with irresistible zeal carried their faith and sway throughout Arabia, across Syria, Egypt, Tunis, Tripoli, Algeria, Morocco, and into Spain. At the same time Persia was brought under the sway of the prophet, while preachers of Islam were making converts in Canton and Western China and in parts of India. It is impossible here to explain at length or to attempt a description m detail of the tremendous energy and enthusiasm of the armies of Islam, as they swept with fanatical energy and zeal, North, East and West, conquering everything that blocked their way and creating within a century after the death of the prophet an empire greater in extent than that of Rome at the height of its power.