PressEthic

Just like Christianity, Islam has many facets. The majority of Muslims are Sunnis who follow different schools of thought. Then there are Shiites that make up between 10-15% of the one billion Muslims in the world. But just like Sunnis, there are subgroups. But the author of this New York Times article last Friday misses this distinction.

Those clashing stump speeches highlight the growing fissures in the once virtually monolithic religious Shiite establishment, as its leaders battle one another for position on the eve of the Dec. 15 elections for a full four-year government.

Islam has never been monolithic, ever since the split over who would rule the Islamic community after Prophet Muhammed's passing. Shiites emerged with the martyrdom of Husayn in 680 at Karbala. In fact, more fractions are seen in the Shia establishment than other groups of Islam. They various sects range from Twelvers (the most dominant), to Ismailis, Zaidis, Ibadis, to the Druzes, among many others. By describing Shiite branch as monolithic, the author mischaracterizes the history of Muslims in Iraq.