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Article: The Shia Revival.(Book review)
- Article from:
- Military Review
- Article date:
- May 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Army CGSC. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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THE SHIA REVIVAL, Vali Nasr, W.W. Norton and Company, New York, 2006, 287 pages $25.95.
Vali Nasr's The Shia Revival is a must-read for anyone wanting to come to grips with the rampant sectarian violence in the Middle East, specifically in Iraq. At the heart of the violence is a 1400-year-old schism between the two great branches of Islam: the Sunnis and Shia. The rejection of Ali ibn Abi Talib (the prophet's son-in-law) as Mohammed's immediate successor created the initial rift between the Sunnis and Shiites. Ali's supporters were referred to as Ali shi'atu 'Ali, or simply Shia. Ali eventually became caliph in 656, after the death of Uthman (the third successor ...