Are shiites in Iraq and iran seveners or twelvers?
373634
Most of them are 'Twelvers.' They are the dominant Shiite faction in Iran and Iraq. The others factions exist but are not a force to reckon with.\nThey are known as 'Twelvers' as they believe in the return of the twelvth imam, or Imam Mahdi as he is known. They believe he entered a well and is still alive in a state of occultation. He will return during the end times and rule the world in its final days just before the day of judgement.
276263
Sunni and Shiite muslims disagree over who was the caliph. The shiite believe that the grandsons of Mohammed should have been the caliph (leader of the Islamic ummah.) The Sunnah believe in a different line, led off by a friend of Mohammed Abu Bakr.\n\nThere are other subtle differences - such as the rites and celebrations. Shia tend to focus on the martyrdom of the grandsons at Karbala, and as such have a devotion for saints that is not entirely unlike the Catholics. Shia each are expected to devote themselves to an Imam (also almost the way a Catholic is under a bishop.)\n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia
170660
despite the similarity in name ( of course original spell of iraq is aragh ) and neighborhood , people of these two countries are from different race and have different language . so many thinks that iranians are arab thats wrong and they speak persian .
1014335
Before the spread of Islam in the 7th century CE, the majority of Kurds practised their indigenous religions, today are referred to as Yazdanism. Yazidism and Yarsan, which may stemmed from and eventually replaced those religions are still practised among the Kurds. Most Yazidis live in Iraqi Kurdistan, in the vicinity of Mosul and Sinjar. Yazidis are also found in Syria, Armenia, Turkey, and Germany. Their holy book is "Mishefa Reş" (The Black Book)[73]. The Yarsan, or Ahl-e Haqq, religion is practised in western Iran, primarily around Kermanshah. There were also many Kurds who practised Zoroastrianism. [74]\n\nAlso before arrival of Islam in the 7th century AD there were large Kurdish populations practising Christianity, still found in small numbers especially in Iraqi Kurdistan. The Kurdish kingdom of Adiabene, including a large number of its Kurdish citizens, converted to Judaism during the 1st century BC.[75] Rabbi Asenath Barzani, who lived in Mosul from 1590 to 1670 was among the very first Jewish women to become a Rabbi.\n\n \nMalak Ta’us, the peacock angel of Yazidism religionIn the 7th century, Arabs conquered the Kurdish regions and converted the majority of Kurds to Islam. The majority of Kurds are Muslim, belonging to the Shafi school of Sunni Islam, distinguishing them in the region, (and to a much lesser degree, the Hanafi) Schools of Sunni Islam. There is also a significant minority of Kurds that are Shia Muslims, primarily living in the Ilam and Kermanshah provinces of Iran and Central Iraq ("Al-Fayliah" Kurds). The Alevis are another religious minority among the Kurds, mainly found in Turkey. There are also Kurds who are Agnostics.\n\nMost Kurds have liberal tendencies toward religion, for instance Kurdish women usually do not wear hijab, do not cover their face and this differentiate them from Arab and Iranian women
417183
One difference is, the way they wrap their heads. Sunnis wrap clockwise, while shiites wrap counter.
1026976
My money is on Muqtada al-Sadr, one of the al Mahdi army or one of Iran's SVAMA agents. Lots of Shiites would like to be rid of Saddam himself.
117024
He is Sunni, part of the minority group in Iraq. Now that Sadaam is no longer in power, Sunni's are having trouble adjusting to not having things their way. Some keep insisting that they're the majority group in Iraq.
173034
Okay, so you know, the two largest branches of Islam are spelled (in English) Sunni and Shi'a (of which the adherents are known as Shiites).\n\nIran is a majority-Shiite country.
841572
Go to \nhttp://www.sistani.org\nhttp://www.al-islam.org\nhttp://www.al-shia.org\nhttp://www.shialink.org\nhttp://www.qoitrat.org\n\nfor more information.
415251
They are Shiite religious leaders. The Shiites believe that they are perfect and take their opinions as if they were of God's messenger peace be upon him. The title Ayatollah itself means the sign of God in Arabic.
405488
IT WAS IN FACT...IRAQ.   any doubt as to why we are there now fighting someone else's  Holy war?
193447
First off, good question.  I'm not a muslim and my understanding of this issue is pretty basic, but I'll let you know what I know in case you don't get any better answers.\n\nFirst off, Shiite and Sunni Muslims have more in common than they have different.  They all trace their religiious heritage to Adam and to Abraham, along with Christianity and Judaism. Shiites and Sunnis also have some core religious principles in common, called the Five Pillars of Islam, including reference for the Prophet Mohammed as receiving the divine guidance of Allah and recording it in the Koran.  \n\nThe differences came about a few decades after the death of Mohammed when a dispute arose as to the line of succession from Mohammed.  Shiites trace their succession of religious leaders to Ali, who was the husband of Mohammed's granddaugther, while Sunnis trace the line of succession to another relative.  So, Ali and his martyrdom plays a very prominent role in Shia Islam but not in Sunni Islam.  You may have heard of the Shiite religious event of Ashura where they commemorate the death of Ali.\n\nDoctrinally, this distinction between the two in terms of the line of succession has resulted in Shiite Muslims relying more heavliy on a religious hierarchy traced back to Ali and Mohammed for conveying the word of Allah to people today.  Ayatollah Khomeni in Iran was perhaps the most famous example.  In contrast, Sunnis tend to believe that the word of Allah is more accessible to everyday Muslims.  The distinction is somewhat analogous to the religious hierarchy in the Catlholic church, when contrasted with some forms of Protestantism.  So, for example, a Shiite may be much more restricted in who he or she believes can authentically make a religous proclaimation (called a fatwah) than would a Sunni Muslim.\n\nIn my mind, the beliefs between Shiite Muslims and Sunni Muslims, and Christians and Jews for that matter, tend to have a lot more in common than they have differences.  Unfortuntely, people tend to focus (and often kill each other) based on the differences.\n\nHope this helps.
734311
Which one? The slaughter of the Kurds (with chemical weapons of mass destruction) in 1991? \n\nThe current slaughter of Shiites by deposed Sunnis?\n\nThe targeting of innocent contractors who are working to rebuild Iraq by terrorists from Iran and Syria?
285359
Did you mean Shiite?\n\nShiite is a member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali as the legitimate successor to Mohammed and rejects the first three caliphs.\n  Synonyms: Shi'ite, Shiite Muslim, Shi'ite Muslim\n\nShiites (shē'ītz) [Arab., shiat Ali,=the party of Ali], the second largest branch of Islam, Shiites currently account for 10%–15% of all Muslims. Shiite Islam originated as a political movement supporting Ali (cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam) as the rightful leader of the Islamic state. The legitimacy of this claim, as initially envisioned by Ali's supporters, was based on Muhammad's alleged designation of Ali as his successor, Ali's righteousness, and tribal customs, given his close relation to the Prophet. Ali's right passed with his death in 661 to his son Hasan, who chose not to claim it, and after Hasan's death, to Husayn, Ali's younger son. The evolution into a religious formulation is believed to have been initiated with the martyrdom of Husayn in 680 at Karbala (today in Iraq), a traumatic event still observed with fervor in today's Shiite world on the 10th of the month of Muharram of the Muslim lunar year.
240846
Wow, there's an 800 year old question!\n\nWithout going into a doctorial dissertation, it all started right after the death of the Profit. The question was who would be his successor. Shias believed one way and Sunnis another. They have been fighting ever since.\n\nAdd to this that most Shia are Persians and most original Sunni are Arabs and the cultural morass becomes deeper. When entering the Arabian/Persian Gulf, ships and planes must call it different names depending on if they are talking to an Arab or a Persian (Iranian).\n\nYou must understand that tribal and clan allegiances trump all others in the Arab world. Some would argue the tribal nature is prevalent throughout the world and that cultures like the US and (modern) Western Europe are the exceptions, rather than the rule. Others will agree but state the West has evolved away from tribal warfare and that is why they are so successful. But back to the topic.\n\nThese tribal/clan ties can cause massive intercine wars within a country and are sometimes confused by culturally ignorant journalists as "civil wars", when in fact they may be nothing more an retribution killings or turf wars over some resource.\n\nTribal/clan systems are also highly unstable and can be easily fractured. Even within the Sunnis and Shia, there are subclans and subsects which may even war with each other. This is how the Afghan war was won and how the terrorists in Iraq are being alienated from their supporting tribal leaders. Yeah, it never made the news, I know. Go figure.\n\nThis brings us back to the Sunni/Shia issue. Iraq is the crossroads of cultures in the Arab/Persian world. Bothe Shias and Sunnis have holy sites here. The ignorant media just simply claim every city is a "Holy City" without even trying to figure out WHO it is holy for. Iraq's population is roughly Shi'a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%, and Christian 3%. Into this, add the Kurds, who are also Islamic, but of a different tribe/clan.\n\nFor his entire reign, Saddam brutalized the Kurds and Shia within Iraq. Roughly 6-7 million people were killed with untold numbers imprisoned and truly tortured (not just embarrassed). His Army was made up of Shia conscripts serving under brutal Sunni officers. We never "disbanded" the Iraqi Army, it disintegrated en mass after Saddam fell and thousands of Shia deserted.\n\nSo, after years of abuse, the Shia and Kurds have a score to settle. You must understand, there is no "forgive and forget" here. The culture does not allow for it. The US military knows this, but also knows they must stop the violence. Their are massive efforts to bring the sides together and create conditions where local Sheiks (tribal leaders) and Imams (religious leaders) can help the people work together for a better Iraq. This effort is more difficult than any ever attempted. It is succeeding, slowly, but most Americans, or the world, would never know about it from the media.\n\nI hope this helped. This is a huge question and one that most Western cultures cannot comprehend since it makes no sense to us. However, much of the world is divided along these tribal lines. We are seeing this all over from China, to the Caucuses, through the old Soviet Union, in the Balkans, and throughout Africa. It is the cause of a lot of the 100s of "brush wars" going on throughout the world.
133808
Saddam was the Baathist party leader in Iraq.  Most Sunni's are Baathist as well.  That is the connection between the two.  Saddam is by no means a religious man.  It was on rare occasion that he even wore Arab garb.  The Sunni's enjoyed most of the perks under his watch.  Most of the army was Sunni, yet most of the Republican Guard were from his home town. These are the people that he trusted the most; these were his most loyal followers, it had nothing to do with religion. His relationship with all other segments of Iraqi society was at best, guarded.  The Kurds would have had his ass in a New York minute, given half the chance.  The Turkman had no particular edge with Saddam, and the Christians just stayed out of his way. The Shiites, particularly those in the south, had strong ties to Iran.  Iran's brand of Islam is predominately Shiite, so Saddam was not particularly friendly to the Shiites.  Saddam ruled with scare tactics and he was pretty effective with them.  He kept every one under control but at a high price.  The mass graves still pop up occasionally!
910354
I hear so many stories I no longer know what to believe. \nWMD\n\nOIL\n\nFree people from a dictator.\n\nThe one thing I don't understand is why our government would want to remove a Sunni dominated government that kept the Shiites of Iran in check. Now there will be a Shiite dominated government in Iraq that will be more cooperative with the Shiites of Iran and if you look at a world map you will see that a Sunni dominated Iraq acted as  a buffer zone between Iran and Saudi Arabia which is the only Arab country friendly to the US. When the Shiites take control of Iraq, they will set their eyes on Saudi Arabia. You can see from the map that Iraq has a very long border with Saudi Arabia.  That is the one aspect that to me makes the least sense...