Little is known in the West about the division of the Islamic world into Shiites and Sunnites and even less about the stratification of these two groups, with most of the attention going to the Sunnites. Moosa's comprehensive study of the origins and cultural aspects of the different extremist, or Ghulat, Shiite sects in the Middle East is a ground-breaking work. These sects whose 'extremism' is essentially religious are generally a peaceful people and, except for the Nusayris of Syria, are not political activists.

Mahdis and Millenarians is a discussion of Shiite groups in eighth- and ninth-century Iraq and Iran, whose ideas reflected a mixture of indigenous non-Muslim religious teachings and practices in Iraq in the early centuries of Islamic rule and demonstrates the fluidity of religious boundaries of this period. Particular attention is given to the millenarian expectations and the revolutionary political activities of these sects. Specifically, the author's intention is to define the term 'millenarian', to explain how these groups reflect that definition, and to show how they consequently need to be seen in a much larger context than Shiite or even simply Muslim history. The author concentrates, therefore, on the historical-sociological role of these movements. The central thesis of the study is that they were the first revolutionary chiliastic groups in Islamic history and, combined with the later influence of some of their doctrines, contributed to the tactics and teachings of a number of subsequent Shiite or quasi-Shiite sectarian groups.

Journalist Khalid M. Amayreh points out the Major Contradictions in the Shiite Imami Religion in his book My Story with the Shiites. He says the real contentious issue between Muslims and Shiites is not Yazid or Mu’awiya, Hassan or Hussein, Fadak or al-“Zahraa’s limb,” the Karbulaa tragedy or the so-called Raziyatul Khamis (Thursday’s calamity), Hadithul Manzela or the Saqifa of Bani Sa’ada, or the Ghadeer Khom event. In fact, these issues can be reduced to mere “red herrings” used by the Shiites to discredit Islam and undermine the entire Muhammadan message. This timely and eye-opening book clears up misconceptions as it tells the truth about Shiites and Shiism.

For a generation, Muslim extremists have targeted Americans in an escalation of terror that culminated in the September 11 attacks. Our shared confusion -- Who are the attackers? Why are we targets? -- is cleared away in a book as dramatic as it is authoritative. Updated with new chapters on Afghanistan and the the broader Islamic movement, Sacred Rage combines Robin Wright's extraordinary reportage on the Islamic world with an historian's grasp of context to explain the roots, the motives, and the goals of the Islamic resurgence. Wright talked to terrorists, militant religious leaders, and fighters from Beirut to Islamabad and Kabul. Their voices of rage reverberate here -- right up to the attacks in New York and Washington. Across continents extends a challenge we fail to understand at our peril. Sacred Rage now casts light on the war being fought in the shadows.

The Shiites of Lebanon under Ottoman Rule provides an original perspective on the history of the Shiites as a constituent of Lebanese society. Winter presents a history of the community before the 19th century, based primarily on Ottoman Turkish documents. From these, he examines how local Shiites were well integrated in the Ottoman system of rule, and that Lebanon as an autonomous entity only developed in the course of the 18th century through the marginalization and then violent elimination of the indigenous Shiite leaderships by an increasingly powerful Druze-Maronite emirate. As such the book recovers the Ottoman-era history of a group which has always been neglected in chronicle-based works, and in doing so, fundamentally calls into question the historic place within 'Lebanon' of what has today become the country's largest and most activist sectarian community.

This volume introduces the concept of Islamist extremist 'master narratives' and offers a method for identifying and analyzing them. Drawing on rhetorical and narrative theories, the chapters examine thirteen master narratives and explain how extremists use them to solidify their base, recruit new members, and motivate actions.

As sectarian violence spirals alarmingly in Pakistan the need for a rigorous history of its Shia population is met by Rieck's definitive account.

Machine generated contents note: CHAPTER ONE: The View from Baghdad: The ShT'a in the Early -- Third/Ninth Century -- The ShT'i/Mu'tazili and Court Alliance During the Caliphate of -- al-Ma'mun -- Shl'ism and 'Popular' Rebellion in the Umayyad and Early -- Abbasid Periods -- The Anarchy of the Second Civil War and Further ShT'i Uprisings -- CHAPTER TWO: The View from Baghdad: The ShT'a at the Turn -- of the Third/Ninth Century -- The Shi'i Resurgence -- The Shi'i Vizierates and the Rise of the Banu Nawbakht -- The Conditionality of ImamT Rationalism: The Achievements of -- the BanO Nawbakht -- Summary and Conclusion -- CHAPTER THREE: Pockets of Believers: The View from the ShT'T -- City-State of Qum -- Sunnism in Iran: Traditionism and Egalitarianism -- The Sht'a in Third/Ninth Century Iran -- The Twelver Sht'a in Iran: Between Centres and Peripheries -- A Shi'i Haven: Qum and the Ash'art Tribe -- Tribe and City -- Ash'ari Qum and Abbasid Baghdad -- CHAPTER FOUR: Al-Barqi and the Beginnings of the QummT/ -- Ash'arT Association with the Traditions -- Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Barqi: the Mawla Traditionist -- Al-Barqi and al-Mahsin -- Summary and Conclusion -- CHAPTER FIVE: Al-Saffar's Basa'ir al-Darajat: Theological -- Discourse As Encouragement -- Basa'ir as Qummi Discourse -- The Importance of 'Ilm and Its Possessors -- The Miraculous Nature, Substance and Transmission of the Imams' 'Ilm -- The Unique Nature of the Imams and their Sht'a -- The Unique Abilities of the Imams -- Summary and Conclusions -- CHAPTER SIX: Al-KulaynT's al-Kaff: The Qummi Response to -- Baghdadi Rationalism -- Al-KulaynT on al-Kafti2 Baghdad's Rationalist Discourse on the Edge -- The Centrality of al-'Aql and al-'Ilm: the Repudiation of Rationalism -- The Grace of al-'Ilm -- Summary and Conclusion -- CHAPTER SEVEN: Al-Saffar and al-KulaynT on the Imams and the -- Imamate: Twelver Theology Between Qum and Baghdad -- The Qummi/Ash'ari Connection to Twelver Traditionist Theology -- The Theology of al-Kafi Kitab al-Tawhfd -- Twelver Theology Between Qum and Baghdad: Al-Kaft's Kitab al- Hujja -- The Imamology in Basa'ir and al-Kaft's Kitab al-, Huja: a Comparative -- Approach -- Special Effects and Possessions Possessed by the Imams -- Their Special Personages -- The Unique Abilities of the Imams -- Al-Kulayni's Excisions -- CHAPTER EIGHT: AI-Kafi From Theology to Practice -- The Practical Nature of al-Usil's Traditions -- The Traditions of al-Furd' as QummT Discourse on Points of Practice -- The Collection and Obligations of al-Khums -- The Collection and Distribution of Alms -- 'Fle Obligation and Conduct of Congregational Prayer -- Overt Confrontation with Authority -- Al-Amr and al-Nahy -- The Permitted Scope of Personal Relations, and Confrontation, -- With Authority -- The Implementation of al-. Hudzud During the Occultation -- Judicial Arbitration in the Absence of the Imam -- The Imams and al-Jawr in al-Kafi -- CHAPTER NINE: Summary and Conclusions -- Bibliography -- Index of Qur'anic verses cited -- Index.

A comprehensive but concise overview of Iran's politics, economy, military, foreign policy, and nuclear program. The volume chronicles U.S.-Iran relations under six American presidents and probes five options for dealing with Iran. Organized thematically, this book provides top-level briefings by 50 top experts on Iran (both Iranian and Western authors) and is a practical and accessible "go-to" resource for practitioners, policymakers, academics, and students, as well as a fascinating wealth of information for anyone interested in understanding Iran's pivotal role in world politics.

This book is one of the oldest and most important sources written on the esoteric teachings of Islam from a Shi'ite perspective. It demonstrates the Qur'anic origins of Sufism and its close relationship with Shi'ism. The book is based mainly on the teachings of the Qur'an, Hadith narrations of Shi'ite Imams, and the teachings of earlier Sufi masters. In this lies the uniqueness, authenticity, and strength of the book. Tuhfah yi-' Abbasi is written in a typical prose style of the Safavid period and is replete with Arabic words and phrases. The difficulty and dryness of the style, however, is properly compensated by timely quotation of Prophetic traditions, narrations of the Shi'ite Imams, and Sufi poetry composed by 'Attar, Rumi, Hafiz, Mansur Hallaj, as well as the author. This work conveys a universal message for all human beings, particularly at a time when Sufism and Shi'ism are misrepresented by pseudo-Sufis and extremist Shi'ite, and misunderstood by many readers in the Muslim world and in the West.