Shia // Current

After six years, Baghdad's theatre opens its doors again

"The play, To enjoy the sweetness you must taste the bitterness, produced, written,... more

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Experience of a minster who converted to Islam

" Experience of a minster who converted to Islam " I know that the title of the... more

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Questions from a confused Christian

Questions from a confused Christian I read in the newspaper that 15% of the Koran... more

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Why is the apostate to be executed in Islam?

Why is the apostate to be executed in Islam? As a non Muslim, I find myself Intrigued... more

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Why does the Quran use the term "we" in its ayats?

The meaning of the pronoun “We” as used in the Qur’an Why does the Quran use... more

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Mary in the Holy Qur'an : A Story of Glorification

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What do Muslims believe?

Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God - the Sole Creator, Sustainer and Cherisher of the Universe; in the Angels created by Him; in the prophets through whom His revelations were brought to humankind; in the Day of Judgment, and in individual accountability for actions; in God's complete authority over destiny, be it good or bad and in life after death.

Muslims believe that God sent His messengers and prophets to all people. Biblical prophets mentioned in the Qur'an include: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Lot, Ishmael, Isaac, Job, Ezekiel, Jacob, Joseph, Jonah, Jethro, Moses, Aaron, Elijah, Elisha, David, Solomon, Zechariah, John the Baptist, and Jesus; peace be upon them all.

God's final message to humanity was revealed to the last prophet, Muhammad (peace be upon him), through the Archangel Gabriel. It confirmed and finalized all previous revelations that were sent to humankind through God's messengers.

One becomes a Muslim by believing and proclaiming that, "There is no deity except God, and that Muhammad is the messenger of God." By this declaration the believer announces his or her faith in all of God's messengers, and in the scriptures revealed to them.

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May I suggest to the seeker of truth do the following NINE STEPS for purification of the mind:

Clean their mind, their heart and their soul real good.
Clear away all the prejudices and biases.
Read a good translation of the meaning of the Holy Quran in a language that they can understand best.
Take some time.
Read and reflect.
Think and pray.
And keep on asking the One who created you in the first place, to guide you to the truth.
Keep this up for a few months. And be regular in it.
Above all, do not let others who are poisoned in their thinking influence you while your are in this state of "rebirth of the soul."
The rest is between you and the Almighty Lord of the Universe. If you truly love Him, then He already knows it and He will deal with each of us according to our hearts.

Peace to you and Guidance from Allah the One Almighty God, Creator and Sustainer of all that exists.Muslims believe in the One, Unique, Incomparable, Merciful God - the Sole Creator,... more

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Answers to Born-Again Preachers' ( Islam Q&A )

Islam: "Way of life in submission to God in Peace" Allah said in the Holy Quran: "It... more

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What the Shi’ah do on ‘Ashoora’ is bid’ah (innovation) and misguidance ( ISLAM Q&A )

What the Shi’ah do on ‘Ashoora’ is bid’ah (innovation) and misguidance I am... more

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Why do people need religion? ( Islam Q&A )

Mankind’s need for religion Why do people need religion? Isn’t it enough to have... more

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A Non Muslim is Objecting to a Muslim Student Who Does Not Enjoy Himself With Them in Night Clubs!

A non-Muslim is objecting to a Muslim student who does not enjoy himself with them in... more

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Elections in Iraq

Leila Fadel: Provincial elections could shift the power balance in Iraq as many Iraqis... more

Vierotchka
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Would the World Be Safer Without Religion?

Would the World Be Safer Without Religion?
Faith makes people want to kill each other--but it's the best thing we've got.
Israelis and Palestinians are killing each other by the hundreds in Israel, the West Bank, and Gaza. Hindus and Muslims are slaughtering each other in India, herding neighbors into house or trains then setting them afire. Catholics and Protestants continue to kill each other in Northern Ireland. Sunnis and Shias have their arms wrapped around each other's throats throughout the Islamic world. And of course, on Sept. 11, 19 Muslims were so determined to murder helpless Christians and Jews that they were willing to die to shed the blood of other religions.

Not a terribly good reflection on faith, is it? If religion makes people want to murder each other, maybe religion is bad for the world.

Religion has certainly been bad for history. In recent decades alone, Hindus and Sikhs have been slaughtering each other, blowing up airliners and firing artillery shells into temples. In the fighting over Sri Lanka, Tamil Hindus have fired machine guns at school buses full of Sinhalese Buddhist children, and the Buddhists in turn have firebombed Hindu schools. Thousands of Chinese grew up as orphans because their Buddhist parents were murdered during World War II at the urging of Shinto priests.

Looking further back, huge numbers of Eastern Orthodox Armenians were murdered by Muslims at the turn of the century. Much of Europe's history has been a nightmare of Christian-on-Christian killing, including the 30 Years' War, in which an estimated 7.5 million people--one-third of the European population at the time--died owing to Catholic-versus-Protestant slaughter. England's history is full of Protestants murdering Catholics; France's history is full of Catholics murdering Protestants; Spain's history is full of Christians murdering Jews. Pretty much all of Europe is to blame for the Crusades, in which Christians murdered Muslims. This inventory could go on at considerable length. King Olaf Tryggvason's declaration from about the year 1000--"all Norway will be Christian or die!"--sums it up.

So is faith bad? The fact that religions preach love, but often generate violence, cannot be dismissed as a minor imperfection.
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Despite your individual religion, do you believe religion in general has done more harm than good or the other way around? I think both points could be argued for, but, ultimately, either religion does more good or more bad to the world.Would the World Be Safer Without Religion? Faith makes people want to kill each... more

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11 months ago
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Chemical Ali has been sentenced to death for a 2nd time

Chemical Ali aka Comical Ali has been handed a second death sentence for his part in... more

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Once Upon A Time In Iran: Pilgrimage To Karbala #1

In 680 AD at Karbala, in deserts of Iraq, Prophet Mohammad’s grandson Husayn was... more

Vierotchka
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12 months ago
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Can You Tell a Sunni From a Shiite?

Just goes to show why we haven't won the war yet.
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FOR the past several months, I’ve been wrapping up lengthy interviews with Washington counterterrorism officials with a fundamental question: “Do you know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite?”

A “gotcha” question? Perhaps. But if knowing your enemy is the most basic rule of war, I don’t think it’s out of bounds. And as I quickly explain to my subjects, I’m not looking for theological explanations, just the basics: Who’s on what side today, and what does each want?

After all, wouldn’t British counterterrorism officials responsible for Northern Ireland know the difference between Catholics and Protestants? In a remotely similar but far more lethal vein, the 1,400-year Sunni-Shiite rivalry is playing out in the streets of Baghdad, raising the specter of a breakup of Iraq into antagonistic states, one backed by Shiite Iran and the other by Saudi Arabia and other Sunni states.

A complete collapse in Iraq could provide a haven for Al Qaeda operatives within striking distance of Israel, even Europe. And the nature of the threat from Iran, a potential nuclear power with protégés in the Gulf states, northern Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, is entirely different from that of Al Qaeda. It seems silly to have to argue that officials responsible for counterterrorism should be able to recognize opportunities for pitting these rivals against each other.

But so far, most American officials I’ve interviewed don’t have a clue. That includes not just intelligence and law enforcement officials, but also members of Congress who have important roles overseeing our spy agencies. How can they do their jobs without knowing the basics?

My curiosity about our policymakers’ grasp of Islam’s two major branches was piqued in 2005, when Jon Stewart and other TV comedians made hash out of depositions, taken in a whistleblower case, in which top F.B.I. officials drew blanks when asked basic questions about Islam. One of the bemused officials was Gary Bald, then the bureau’s counterterrorism chief. Such expertise, Mr. Bald maintained, wasn’t as important as being a good manager.

A few months later, I asked the F.B.I.’s spokesman, John Miller, about Mr. Bald’s comments. “A leader needs to drive the organization forward,” Mr. Miller told me. “If he is the executive in a counterterrorism operation in the post-9/11 world, he does not need to memorize the collected statements of Osama bin Laden, or be able to read Urdu to be effective. ... Playing ‘Islamic Trivial Pursuit’ was a cheap shot for the lawyers and a cheaper shot for the journalist. It’s just a gimmick.”Just goes to show why we haven't won the war yet.... more

quantisation
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America's Secret War With Iran

Is the U.S. already at war with Iran? In "America's Secret War in Iran," Vanguard... more

MarianaVanZeller
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1 year ago
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Two families survive Iraq’s militias

Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with Iraqi families struggling to survive the sectarian violence.

Iraq, Baghdad/Saediya/Adhamiya - The sectarian conflict in Iraq was one of the main problems that has continued to limit stability and security in certain Iraqi provinces. Many people were forced to sell their house and flee to other neighborhoods or to leave Iraq entirely. In other cases they were not able to sell any of their property such as cars or furniture, and had to flee immediately.

According to the International Herald Tribune, the highest number of casualties due to violence was in September 2006 when approximately 2600 Iraqis were killed. According to icasualites.org, more than 3300 civilians were killed in this period. At the end of 2006 the Iraqi Minister of Health shocked the world by announcing that 150,000 Iraqis had been killed during the war by October 2006, more than three times previous accepted estimates.

Many of the casualties were because of the actions of Al-Qaeda and other Sunni militias or insurgents. On the other hand Shia militias such as the Badr Brigade and others were taking different techniques, for example kidnapping and assassinating Iraqis, and both sides created a great number of refugees and internally-displaced families.

Sunni neighborhoods like Adhamiya in Baghdad found themselves hosting Sunni refugees who fled death threats from Shia Areas such as Khalis, Karbala, Najaf, and others. The internally displaced families were desperate to find shelter, some forced to live in tents in camps inside Adhamiya. Some local residents of the neighborhoods donated items like heaters, blankets, and food to help those families. Some families who were lucky were able to make a deal with a Shi’a family who was displaced form Adhamiya, and thereby find a home to shelter them during the worst violence.

Shia areas like Sadr City have hosted Shia refugees from Sunni conflict zones like Abu Ghraib, Anbar province, and Falluja specifically. The Sadr movement has provided some of the help for these refugees, like food, blankets, and helping them by sheltering them in properties belonging to the Sadr Movement. Other families in Sadr City decided to host some of the families in their own homes.

The common rumors in Baghdad are that the Badr Brigade is kidnapping Iraqi Sunnis, and the Mahdi Army is kidnapping Sunni Iraqi as well. On the Shia side the common belief is that Al-Qaeda and the Islamic Army’s main purpose is the removal of all Shia from Iraq and to cut any kind of connection with Iran, and the Iraqi citizens find themselves confused whom to believe, the Iraqi government or a religious militia?

Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with some of those Iraqi who are suffering all those problems every day.

Alive in Baghdad brings you interviews with Iraqi families struggling to survive the... more