Conversation with a Peaceful Non Sect Sectarian
(a new Islamic sect that hopes to deny that the original contestants (Ahl Baht/Ahl Sunna) for Divine Right either existed or were ignorant of their own cases) . He asked a girl named Hannah why it is Shia cannot simply "tow the line" and be the new "Flower Children" of Islam:

Well...why indeed. And on the mightily important occassion of Martin Luther King Day....

Here is what she told him:

That's nice sir but you know...I'm sure the Palestinians, the Iraqis, the Shia of S. Lebanon might disagree with this narrow world view and (no offense) mock piousness. It isn't that you are aware of it obviously...or you wouldn't pronounce it so truthfully here.

But to me it is a "let them eat cake" mentality. It is quietism and it ignores the fact that Islam is still very much alive, very much in a state of change and very much the most important aspect of the world right now and for all times.

Otherwise....Allah would have made us all into daisies. And I'm one of the only posters here that can tell you first hand about the Islamic wars we are engaged in my friend. I've lost my way of life because of them. Al'ham'du'la....Allah has provided for me very well in the aftermath of that but I'm just not able to do what it is so many here do and say what you say. Sure...I love the pipe dream idea of it all and sure...I cannot change anyone. And sure...I believe that I was chosen for this. Obviously....and not chosen to be something else.

For me...it is a new kind of "Chosen" people kind of thinking. And I know exactly how that must make some of you feel.

You know...what we Shia discuss and what the Sunni know and discuss are not comparable. Here is a link describing the difference in the Pillars:

http://www.blogger.com/www.important.ca/five_pillars_of_islam.html

No where in the Quran are the five pillars described and I have to wonder....where do they come from then? What is the relationship between articles of faith and actual "Pillars" which are things upon which something is built...whole societies not just individual muslims.

When people like redacted come along and say "prove it" then I have to equate that to nonmuslims who do the same exact thing. There are no proofs for them. There are never proofs for people who hide what it is they claim and do not disclose it clearly and in no uncertain terms.

The Sunni Pillars:

-The Testimony that there is none worthy of worship except God and that Muhammad is his messenger.
-Establishing of the five daily Prayers (salah).
-The Giving of Zakaah (charity), which is generally 2.5% of the yearly savings for a rich man working in trade or industry, and 10% or 20% of the produce for agriculturists. This money or produce is distributed among the poor.
-Fasting from dawn to dusk in the month of Ramadan (sawm).
-The Pilgrimage (Hajj) to Mecca during the month of Dhul Hijjah, which is compulsory once in a lifetime for one who has the ability to do it.

Those things are common to all muslims and in effect...describe them as a whole in terms of Sunna and practice. Two of those "Pillars" are in fact, impossible for some muslims i.e. Zakat and Pilgrammage. How then can anyone declare that they are actual Pillars of Islamic Society? As a matter of fact, in the absence of justice, those two things become even more impossible for the impoverished ones.

The Shia Pillars are:

-The Oneness of God (tawhid).
-The Justice of God ('adl).
-Prophethood (nubuwwah).
-The Leadership of Mankind (imamah).
-The Resurrection (me'ad).

What I see is that the Shia Pillars better reflect the manner in which societies ought to be built...not just how we muslims can describe ourselves. Justice being the most important Pillar right now and like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. said, "Peace is not the absence of war (a fight) but the presence of justice." And each and every one of those Pillars is possible for all muslims to attain as in "develop" a belief in and a manner of viewing the world. Some of those things sir...are worth fighting for and especially worth fighting for when others hope to take them away from muslims generically and specifically. Like when George W. Bush declares that he doesn't want to take the nuclear potential away from the Shia in Iran but instead begins saying he wants to take the KNOWLEDGE away from them. Wow. That's not only dangerous rhetoric but it is truthful. And by all means, Allah did pick him to lead the US into this catastrophe and lead the Sunnis to a better understanding of those that they have spent millenia confronting, oppresssing and bad mouthing and doing so at the behest of their Sunni leadership.

Those Pillars also reflect how muslims must and will deal with non muslims in the future when they are made into the captains of this ship. It is clear to me that not everyone gets to be chosen for this and it is also clear to me that Allah made it perfectly known that he'd be dealing with everyone else equitably. I hardly think that the Sunni concept of leadership is suitable for most people and it is exactly that type of leadership that has caused fear to spread amongst non muslim socieities regarding "Sharia Law". Sharia Law is not the point you know. Islam and Allah will be followed whether or not a people like it, choose it or KNOW it. That is because it is a natural law that emanates from the creation itself. Don't ask a Sunni scholar though because they tend to get officious about it and declare that they know things which often times...no one knows. Not even a Shia scholar.

Having lived in a "Sunni Sharia State" i.e. Saudi Arabia...I'm here to tell you that nothing good came of that human experiment of history. The restrictions that Sunni leaders placed on people there have caused all sorts of debauched results to evolve in that society which, by my reckoning, ought to be the best Islamic society on earth seeing as how it is the "Holy Land".

And Allah said, "The Proof is in the Pudding" i.e. to paraphrase the notion that Allah will bring forth proofs for all his creatures regarding their very own natures and in essence, the societies composed of "like minded" individuals.

I do however, to give the benefit of the doubt to your "peaceloving" thinking...know that we are all moving to a more unified approach that blends our ideas instead of merely denying them which is what redacted are often engaged in here. They aren't really peace makers in that but only attempting (foolishly) to extinguish and suppress knowledge that does not support their own points of view.

Peace