Do neo-cons understand that Shia Muslims have deep allegiances with Iran?

Question

"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"
http://islam.about.com/cs/divisions/f/shia_sunni.htm

And Bush handed them Iraq...

Saddam was a Sunni muslim (approx 20% of Iraqis were Sunnis). This minority controlled the Shia majority. This was part of the hatred between Saddam and Iran.

vegaswoman (below) This must be code for "no".

avail_skillz (below) Exactly!

The Sunnis have been all but exterminated in Baghdad. Iran has a strong footing in Iraq, post the Bush invasion.

coragryph (below) Simple. When an Imam tells the Shiites a "best" course of action, they are apt to follow. They simply have to sit and wait as their followers are given more and more control of Iraq (which is happening as we type) and unite the two nations.

waynesworldstage (below) The Shia shahadah (declaration of faith) states:

"There is no god but Alláh, Muhammad is the Messenger of Alláh, Alí is the Friend of Alláh. The Successor of the Messenger of Alláh And his first Caliph."

You are correct. Yet so am I. They are Shiites (noun). Shia (pronoun) is used to describe something aka Shia Militia or Shia ideology. Shiite is their religious (sect) for lack of a better term.

I used the wrong term with the word Muslim. They are Shiite Muslims. Thanks.

Answer 1

Yes, I do. And it has been that way since the rift in Islam, centuries ago.

Your point?

Answer 2

You don't know much about the Iraqi System. Did you know that there are tribes that straddle the religious divide? Identity begins with the Tribe in Iraq and branches outward. You think it is the other way around. You are very mistaken in that thinking. The reason Al Qaeda is now getting pasted by fellow Sunni's is because of the tribe which forbids marriage to foreigners critical to the Al Qaeda strategy of embedding in the local population. The cooperation between the provinces is still tenuous at best but the Sunni's in the provinces are cooperating with the Shia central government, Is there Iranian influence? yes but Sistani will not be told what to do by Iranian Mullahs, he out ranks them. Sistani is the real power in Iraq, not the Central Government. He does not like Americans either but he is not attacking the Americans either.

Answer 3

Actually, Shiites believe in secular leaders as the ultimate authority, tracing line of succession through Mohammed's family. Sunnis believe in religious leaders the ultimate authority.

But just because Iran is predominately Shiite doesn't mean all Shiites automatically have an allegiance to Iran.

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EDIT: Imam means "leader" -- so of course, if one of their leaders makes a suggestion, the followers are likely to follow it. That's true in every group and every religion.

Shia doctrine says the Imams descend through one path and lineage. Sunni doctrine says the Imams may be chosen by the people, but that all authority flows from the Quran and the spirtual caliphate interpretations of it.

That still says nothing about your assumption that just because all Shiite sects follow the same broad grouping of Islamic doctrine, that all Shiites are automatically allied with Iran. That's a huge assumption that isn't born out by history or observable fact, given the conflicts that exist within the sect.

Answer 4

Yes. I know that the Shia in Iraq have ties to the Imams in Iran.

I also understand that they will not submit to Iran. Iraq is location of the twelfth Imams Caliphate. Iran is the seat of the old Persian rulers. The Shiite Imams in Iran would want the Shia to control Iraq but it is the Wahabists that are the followers of the twelfth Imam as he will be Sunni.

I understand that Iraq is much more than an oil barrel and I believe that others in government do too.

The control of Iraq is like holding the magic lamp that the Djin is supposed to emerge from.

Answer 5

why should they even bother? it's a lot of headache.

and you are right shias in Iraq have deep allegiance with Iran and it's where shias from all over the world go to study shiite Islam.

they have allegiance with their clerics

PS: the shias also believe in the twelfth Imam who is supposed to return in the "end times"

both sects have their radicals and extremists.

Answer 6

hmmm isn't al-maliki a shi'ite?
Isn't the majority in Iraq Shi'ite?

Isn't Ahmadinejad a Shi'ite?
Hasn't Iran been trying to promote the shia majority in Iraq to regain authority for decades?
Its no wonder that Ahmadinejad, always has a smile on his face when he is talking to reporters, while sheltering one of al-Maliki's greatest supporters...Muqtada al-Sadr, a shi'ite cleric and the leader of the mahdi militia.

How fast do you think Iran would have wiped Saddam out, if he wouldn't have had those "dual purpose" farm chemicals, and the planes to deliver them as chemical weapons? Wonder who gave them to him?

Bush has done nothing but double up on a 14 and pray that he gets a 7.

Answer 7

Do you realize you just stereotyped every S-h-i-i-t-e Muslim? Some just want to live and aren't 'apt' to say how high every time an Iman says jump. Not every Middle Easterner is radically religious. That's a very simpleton way of looking at things. The Middle East is much more complicated than that.

(Censored me for S-h-i-i-t-e?)

Answer 8

Greetings! I would think that the neocons would not only know this, but makes them giddy, excited and enraptured with ecstasy. This means the US could end up in war with Iran and more men and women getting killed because of absolutely goofy ideologies from the White House and the neocon pulpits.

Nothing would please them more. And you know what I say is true, otherwise all of our soldiers stationed in Iraq would be home by now.

Take care.

Answer 9

There is no "Shia." It is Shiite. Now you understand why Roger Grimsby had such a hard time as the first TV commentator who had to talk about the Shiites.

Answer 10

Do you understand that neocon is a label awarded by your own personal bias and should not be taken as fact?