Beginner's Guide to Muslims: Shia vs. Sunni

Cast of Characters

SHIA

Iran

Iraq

Assad/Alawite/Syria

Hezbollah

SUNNI

Egypt

Turkey

Saudi Arabia/Wahhabism

Afghanistan/Pashtun

Jordan/Hashemite

Qatar

Pakistan

Hussein/Ba'ath/Iraq (deposed)

Muslim Brotherhood/Qutbism

Hamas

Al-Qaeda

Mujahideen/Taliban

Haqqani Network

ISIL

Free Syrian Army

Indonesia (huh?)

Case #1: Wither Shia?

The scorecard is quite lopsided. Indeed, 90% of all Muslims worldwide are Sunni. However, do not be misled by this numeric disparity. Both groups are quite dangerous and do their share of evil (from a Judeo-Christian viewpoint) in this world.

Case #2: the Parking Lot

There was a historic building in Saudi Arabia associated with a family member of Mohammed, making it sacred for Shiites. Recently, it was unceremoniously razed to the ground and a parking lot built on top. Why? Because Saudi Arabia is Sunni, making the structure more useful as a parking lot.

Case #3: ISIL

Having their origin in Syria, this one is now sweeping across Iraq with all manner of horrors I would rather not repeat. Yet, many Arab countries are sitting on the hands. Can you guess why? ISIL is Sunni, and Iraq is Shia. There are rumors that major Sunni powers are supporting them, among them Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. They seem to have no qualms about Sunnis stomping on a Shia country.

Case #4: Tehran vs. Riyadh

The former is the main player for Shia, the latter likewise for Sunni. Every time you hear of Muslim on Muslim violence, keep this dichotomy in mind.

Case #5: Kill the Apostates

In the New Testament, there is only one unforgivable sin: apostasy. Likewise for Islam: both schools of thought view the other as apostates, which is why they direct more violence towards each other to us, who are merely unbelievers.

Case #6: Not All Pashtuns are Taliban

The reason the Taliban will never really be defeated is that its genesis is in the native Pashtun population. So, all Taliban are Pashtun, but not all Pashtun are Taliban. In fact, Taliban often point their violence at other Pashtun.

Case #7: Taliban & Al-Qaeda

Sloppy thinking tends to equate these 2. Not so. The former seek to overtake Pakistan and Afghanistan. The latter are funded by Tehran and seek to export their terror internationally. They have franchises in several countries.

Case #8: Taliban Also Threatens Pakistan

One of the major sources of support of the Taliban are sympathetic elements in Pakistani military and intelligence agencies. Ironically, if Pakistan falls, it will be from a Taliban insurgency.

Case #9: “Qu'ran”?

In fact it translates as read or recite. Muslim and Islam translate as surrender or obedience, i.e. to Allah. None of these words translates as peace, unless you mean the tranquility of simply following the will of Allah (who is not peaceful in the Western sense).

Case #10: Takfiri?

It is an important concept to understand, and translates as apostate, which is different from nonbeliever. If you study it, more violence occurs Muslim against Muslim, rather than Muslim against the West. The 2 schools of Islam view each other as apostates.

Case #11: Islam Will Never Conquer Christianity or Judaism

In the same way that the reverse is also true. However, Muslims, like any other religion, requires a bogeyman. Judeo-Christianity serves the purpose for Islam.

Case #12: Islamic Culture is NOT Arabic Culture

Arabic culture is as old as Western culture. The recent trend of extremist terrorism (Jihad, Sharia law, suicide bombing) only dates back a century. The genesis was that of the Muslim Brotherhood in the 1920's in Egypt. There are many places where you can experience Arab hospitality dating back centuries/millenia unrelated to violent Islam.

Case #13: the US Really is At Fault for the Mess in Iraq

No, I am not referring to the original decision to invade. When you topple a government, you must have a blueprint as to what will happen next: the central, ruling authority will not regenerate spontaneously. In this sense, the President was poorly served by his advisors (Rice, Cheney, Powell, Rumsfeld). This was an even greater tragedy since he trusts them. The first administrator was Garner: he seemed to understand that water, sewage, electricity, and garbage pickup come first. Conversely, there was chaos and it seemed as if no one was in charge. Next came Bremmer, and things got worse. He made 3 mistakes: disbanding the police and army, not immediately installing the opposition leaders to start picking up the pieces, and repeatedly delaying elections. I heard his justifications, but I still think he made the wrong decisions.

Islamic Civil War—the Next Generation

The conflict between these two schools of thought will continue into the future: both near and far. True democracy simply is not in the cards for a country whose culture is Muslim. The thought that the US, UN, NATO, or Israel can do anything to change this is not reasonable. The internecine killings must stop. That means a gathering of the major forces, regardless of what “the West” thinks of them. Yes, it will result in an ugly patchwork quilt distasteful in our eyes. Get the hospitals, electricity, sewage systems, water supply, and agriculture working again, then we can talk about democracy. Until the killings have stopped and peoples' bellies are full, democracy has no chance.

By now, you should be confused with a gigantic headache. If not, then you are not paying attention. Unless you understand that Western and Arabic culture are different, and that superimposing one over the other will never work, you have no hope of understanding. On the flip side of the coin, yes: I am speaking whereof I often do not really know. Mountains of scholarly books have been written by authors with first hand experience. If any of this seems interesting, I encourage you to seek them out.  

In Defense of Ukraine against Russia

Ruble Collapses: Whither Russia?

Well, well, well. The price of oil/natural gas has collapsed. This is bad news for any oil producing country, but Russia is especially vulnerable. A large portion of her government budget is funded by them. That is why the Ruble has plummeted. The national budget, not to mention the Russian economy, is in for a world of hurt.

The Ukraine Army Has Been Destroyed

To say that the Ukraine military is of modest size is to be generous. What little of it there was, has been wiped out by a rather small Russian force. This seems to be little known.

NATO Has No Intention to Dismantle Russia

There are some opinions that the EU and NATO are trying to surround and isolate Russia: at best a half-truth. The EU is always trying to expand membership to all European countries, including former Warsaw Pact ones, but not all of them qualify. They are not singling out ones that adjacent to Russia. NATO is indeed moving some military assets up against the Russian border, but this happened after Russia invaded Crimea. Putin should acquaint himself with Newton's Third Law of Motion.

It's Not Ukraine or Russia, It's Putin

That a diplomatic solution has not been found is rather disappointing. This will not occur until both sides holster their six-shooters, share a bottle of vodka, and talk things out. Yes, Brussels and Washington also have a role to play, but Putin would rather show-off his machismo. Unless he and his henchmen fall out of power, it is difficult to see how a solution can be fashioned. For example, he thinks that it is his right to “take back” Crimea.

Ukraine Citizens Should Be Allowed to Choose for Themselves

Hearing opinions that outside forces should be allowed to dictate as to what the constitution, national boundaries, states, parliament membership, and government structure should be, is rather disquieting. They have already had elections, and opinions that these are not legitimate are even worse.

Ukraine vs. Russia War—the Next Generation

The only predictable thing about politics, diplomacy, and war is that they are unpredictable. One ought to be very skeptical of anyone telling you how things are going to work out or that the only solution is this or that. Already, the war has taken a couple of unexpected twists and turns, and this is unlikely to change anytime soon.

Equality is Different from Liberty

I usually equate these two words as both sides of the same coin, but I wonder. I read a book review of Our Declaration: a Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality in the 9/22/14 issue of National Review.

The problem lies how the principle of “equality” is defined. It certainly does not mean equality of wealth, knocking out the legs of our progressive income tax. It does not mean equality of outcome in our lives, therefore canceling out the justification for welfare and transfer payments of various types. To others, it means equality of opportunity, which is very much different.

Liberty, however, has a rather concrete definition. We can live our lives as we wish, which means limited government power. We can choose whatever type of light bulb and toilet we want. We can be as careful or reckless as we wish. We can eat as much unhealthy food as desired.

I have always thought of “liberty” and “equality” in the same sentence. My thinking has changed: these 2 principles are entirely different, and have nothing to do with each other.  

The Most Brilliant Thing Ever Said About the Federal Deficit

I call your attention to an article “Our Democratic Debt” in the July 21,2014 issue of National Review by Christopher DeMuth. The subtitle is “We're borrowing to fund personal benefits not public goods”.

The Debate

If you spend any time at all listening to economic debates and opinions, you will mostly encounter a cacophony: Keynesians and Austrians, Krugman and Friedman, Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, Fed hawks and doves. Sure as shootin', you will not find consensus on the US budget deficit or the Federal debt.

The Deficit of Yesteryear

The only time the US ran substantial deficits was in time of war, and to a lesser degree banking crises and natural disaster. The problem would pass, and the debt would be paid off, more or less.

Where the US Gov't Used to Spend Its Money

Up until recent decades, the only substantial expenditures were on bridges, roads, dams, and the like. These are capital expenditures that all future generations would benefit from. What limited spending was the rather finite number of these things that could be built.

Then Came LBJ and the Great Society

The “war on poverty” heralded a dramatic shift of the role of the Federal Government in our lives, and I am not sure that everyone understands this. I certainly did not until I read this rather remarkable article. Now, rather than building infrastructure, whose expenditure is limited, Uncle Sam now gives out free money to the “needy”, whose demands are infinite. AFDC, food stamps, Medicare and Medicaid, welfare, SSI, ad nauseum. The problem is that these things are consumed immediately. Our descendants will not benefit from this type of spending, but they will foot the bill nevertheless.

Federal Debt and Budget Deficit—the Next Generation

The problem is that once people realize that they can vote themselves money from the public treasury, it becomes impossible to do anything about it (I think it was de Tocqueville who said this; if I am wrong, please sound off in the response box below). Therefore, it is hard to see anything other than ever increasing debt and deficits until the end of time.

In any event, you should read the article.

Hong Kong: “umbrella” revolution?

Well, well, well. We have yet another evil Communist party who has told us a big, fat lie. This time, it is Xi Jing Ping regarding Hong Kong.

Hong Kong?

This region I always regarded as British. What I did not know is that, legally, it belongs to Communist China. The UK merely had a 100 year lease. It expired in 1997, and she was obligated to hand it back to the evil Communists. At the time, the Chi-Comms promised all manner of liberty, freedom, and free elections.

“Umbrella”?

Not surprisingly, HK residents bristled at being told a lie. The promised free elections evaporated like dew in the morning sun. Why “umbrella” revolution? Because Hk'ers use umbrellas to protect themselves against the tear gas being used by riot police.

Occupy Central

This is the name of the group of the HK residents who are protesting against the evil Chinese Communists. They are a ragtag group of professionals and students and so forth. They are doing their best to be peaceful in the best Gandhi tradition. Like “Occupy Wall Street”, they aim to shut down the downtown business district in an act of peaceful civil disobedience.

Hong Kong: the Next Generation

I wish I could say that the brouhaha over HK would move the Communists to sanity, but I cannot. The trouble the evil Chinese Communists have had about their military occupation of Tibet and Mongolia has not moved the Standing Committee, and I have no hope that similar problems over Hong Kong will move them either. I fear that Hong Kong will be yet another victim crushed beneath the jackboot of Communism.  

Why the Obama Foreign Policy is in Smithereens

Yes, I know: you are confused, frustrated, and downright bamboozled by the Obama foreign policy. There are any number of reasonable adjectives have been applied thereupon.

Once you figure it out, however, it becomes not only understandable by rather unsettling.

The World According to O

The global foreign policy influence of the US is rather ubiquitous. It is arrogant and destabilizing.

The Solution According to O

If I reduce the temperature of US foreign policy, the world will be safer and more tranquil.

The Result

Not. According to an old Greek saying: nature abhors a vacuum (Aristotle). In the absence of US influence, any number of tin-horn dictators have arisen to fill th void: Xi Jing Ping, Vladimir Putin, IS/ISL/ISIS, Al Qaeda, and Tweety Bird.

O Foreign Policy: the Next Generation

It is difficult to see any future thereof. Sorry 'bout that.

What is Humanity?

The effort to distill the essence of humanity has defeated the best minds and thinkers throughout history. Such an effort is doomed to failure from the start. It exposes one to ignominious defeat and ridicule, which is exactly why I shall try. So, here goes nuthin'.

Why Jesus Christ is Important

Yes, he rewrote the compact (hence “testament”, both old and new) between God and Man. As a non-Christian, this not why he is important to me. However, he said: clothe the naked, feed the poor (Matthew 25). Certainly an important principle, regardless of your religion.

The Human Capacity for Compassion

The ability of humans to love and care for other species never ceases to amaze me. We are all know of cats and dogs and goldfish and rabbits: they become a member of our family. Even those who have physical defects or expensive medical problems usually find homes. Those who live in rural places regularly take in orphan wildlife, care for them, and release them back into the wild (assuming they will go: they often view their human caretakers as mom and dad and refuse to be kicked back into nature). 3 internet videos: a dolphin tangled in fishing line approaches a diver for help, a diver frees a whale shark tangled in fishing net, and a deer caught in a landslide on a road patiently waits while humans free it from the mud.

Love Thy Neighbor

The willingness to help one's family and friends is not surprising. What is surprising is that this generosity also extends to one's neighbors. There is no earthly reason for this, as neighbors are merely random, geographic happenstance.

Human Life is Not to be Squandered

A living soul is the most valuable resource we have. Abortion and the death sentence are 2 human institutions that are most regrettable.

The Holocaust: Never Forget

Yes, Nazism is evil and millions of Jews were murdered in cold blood. I believe, however that most people miss an even more important lesson: that rather ordinary humans can, with a small bit of clever prodding, be provoked into committing terrible atrocities against one another.

Music, Music, Music

There are 2 compositions that deserve to outlive the human race:
*Beethoven Symphony #5, 4^th movement: celebrating joy of the spirit
*The Creation, a Rock Cantata (Bobrowitz & Porter): celebrating the joy of the human voice

Romantic Love

Many species mate for life, but humans are not one of them, which makes lifelong devotion and sacrifice for a spouse all the more remarkable. We have all heard anecdotes of a couple married for decades where one spouse dies, and the other follows within weeks.

Generosity

The human institution of anonymous giving, where the donor has no idea who the recipient is, to a charitable organization is another rather remarkable human behavior.

Chivalry

When I was growing up, I was taught to never hit a girl/woman. I am now middle aged and on the cusp of being an old fogy, and still believe this to be proper behavior. In fact, this might be a good touchstone in evaluating a particular culture.

Old People

There is an old saying: you can judge a culture by examining how it treats the elderly. Thusly so.

Humanity—the Next Generation

What lies in store for the human race? Anyone who claims to have the answer is probably a charlatan. However, reviewing the ethics and morals of current day society, humans do not seem to have advanced much beyond Plato, Socrates, and the Golden Age of Greece.