I jjust finished reading “Imams and Emirs: State, Religion, and Sects in Islam.” It’s quite a good book, if a little on the academic side of things. Ostensibly, the book talks about the Ibadis, Zaidis, Alawis, Druzes, and Maronites(!) and how they have separated themselves from the mainstream as far as religion and government goes. That’s all very interesting, but I found the explanation of the differences between the Sunni and Shi’a and their relationship to government to be the most useful.
If what this guy says is true, then it sounds like this part of the world is basically screwed. He points out that the Sunni have essentially adapted the religion so that it works hand in hand with government. Not only in how it controls people, but also in the legalistic framework of the religion itself. The Shi’a, in contrast, have, as part of their religious dogma, the idea of resistance and/or rebellion. Their basic idea is that there can be no true justice until the hidden imam returns, so they feel it is their duty to resist worldly rule. No wonder the middle east has so many problems… Between the Sunni using the power of government to control people and the Shi’a’s sense of resistance, there really isn’t much hope of lasting peace here…
Another thing that the author pointed out that really rang true to me was the importance of bloodlines in this part of the world. He talked about how the religious leaders of many sects were only ever taken from the families of other religious leaders. The Q’rish tribe (the tribe of the prophet) still enjoy special privileges in society simply by being a distant relative. I’ve seen the same thing here in Yemen, bloodlines and what family you come from will pretty much determine what your place in society will be. There is a very rigid class system here, what you do for a living and who you can marry are determined by what family you are born into. This all sounds really strange to this American… It doesn’t take too much imagination to think that this is one of the problems with the economy here. They are undoubtedly missing their best musicians, businessmen, artists, imams, ect. because of the rigidity of the class system. It’s a basic thing, but one that is overlooked too often. As Julian Simon pointed out, human beings are the most valuable resource, all they need is the freedom to use their talents as they see fit to not only benefit themselves, but the society at large. The obsession of who people’s relatives are is a big reason why places like this are so backward.
I’m going to have to read the book again to get the info about the sects straight. This first time through I absorbed the big ideas, but there’s lots of details there too. It’s a great book to read if you’re trying to figure out this part of the world…
One reply on “A good book”
I actually hear of the cons of following this class system discussed amongst regular mosque-goers. I heard from one Imam that when a young man came to him and asked for his daughters hand in marriage, the Imam told him he had no problem with it and left the choice to his daughter (who did accept). This all happened without the boys bloodline being questioned and the Imam was of noble lineage. The amount of people in Yemen giving up on this tradition is small but beginning to grow. And this type of class system only happens in the northern part of Yemen. It’s unheard of in the southern and eastern parts.