Islamic Groups from Alawite to Zaidi

You can’t turn on the news these days without hearing about an Islamic sect.    While I can tell you the difference between a Roman Catholic, a Greek Orthodox and a Missouri Synod Lutheran, I have trouble separating the various Muslim groups.   Here is what I was able to pull together.

Islam is the world’s second largest religion with 1.5 billion adherents.  Islam follows the teachings of the Quran which is believed to have been revealed to the prophet Muhammad.   The religion dates back to the early 7^th Century.  There are two main branches of Islam.    The Sunni make up 80-90% of Muslims, while Shiites make up 10-20%.   The split between the two denominations has to do with the legitimate successor to Muhammad.   From 632 to 656, there were a total of four Caliphs, leading up to Ali ibn Abi Talib.    The Sunni believed that Muhammad did not name a successor and that each of these four Caliphs were proper successors to Muhammad, while the Shia believed that Ali was the only true successor.     The Shiites believe that the family of Muhammad was divinely chosen to lead the Islamic community, a belief that is not shared by the Sunnis.

Shiite Sects:

Alawite:   Alawites are a mystical banch of Shia Islam.    They number about three million and are centered in Syria, Turkey and Lebanon.  The sect dates back to the Eighth Century.    They revere Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was the cousin and son-in-law of the prophet Muhammad.  While the ruling Assad family in Syria is from the Alawite sect, they are a minority in Syria.  

 

Alevi:   Alevites combine Shiite beliefs with Sufi elements and are found primarily in Turkey.

Druze:   The Druze emerged from the Ismaili school of Shia Islam.    They are located primarily in Syria, Israel, Lebanon and Jordan.

Ismaili:   The Ismaili are a branch of Shia Islam.   Most Ismailis are known as Seveners because they follow Ismail ibn Jaffar, the Seventh Imam, as the appointed spiritual successor to Jafar as-Sadiq.    They are found primarily in Pakistan, India and Afghanistan.   On a personal note, I once represented some Ismaili Muslims from Vancouver.   They had been Untouchables in India who converted to Islam.   Under the British Empire, they provided much of the technocrat class in East Africa.   After independence, they were forced out of Africa and many emigrated to the United States and Canada where they were very prosperous in business.

Twelvers:   Approximately 85% of Shiites are Twelvers.    They believe that there were twelve divinely ordained Imams and that the Mahdi will be the returned Twelfth Imam.    Twelvers form a majority in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan and Bahrain as well as a plurality in Lebanon.    Alevis and Alawites consider themselves to be Twelvers but hold significantly different beliefs from the mainstream.

Zaidi:   The Zaidi are a Shia Muslim school of thought which follows the Fifth Imam and has many similarities with Sunni Islam.   They are found primarily in Yemen.

Sunni Sects and Groups:

Hamas:   Hamas is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.   It is based on principles of Islamic fundamentalism.   

Muslim Brotherhood:  The Muslim Brotherhood is a pan-Islamic religious, political and social movement.    It seeks to instill the Quran and Sunnah as the sole basis for Muslim life.   It is also one of the largest opposition movements in the Middle East.    The Freedom and Justice Party in Egypt is associated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Salafi:  The Salafi are associated with a literalist, strict and puritanical approach to Islam.  The Salafists follows the example of the first three generations of Muslims.    The al-Nour Party in Egypt is a Salafist political party.      Salafi jihadism is an extreme form of Salafism.    It is based on extreme devotion to Allah, rejection of innovations in Islam, the ability to reject non-conforming Muslims and jihad against infidel regimes.    Al Qaeda is an example of Salafi jihadism.   

Wahhabi:   Wahhabi Islam is an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam.     It is based on the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, a 17^th century Saudi.    Wahhabi Islam is dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia.    Some consider it to be a branch of Salafist Islam.

Sufism

Sufism is defined by its adherents are the inner, mystical dimension of Islam.    It does not appear to fall within the Shiite Sunni dichotomy.    Sufis are opposed by Wahhabi and Salafist Muslims.     Sufism appears to be analogous to the gnostic movement in Christianity in that they claim to have the capacity to acquire the direct experience gnosis of God.    Sufism can be found across North Africa, the Middle East and South Asia.

 Disclaimer

While this brief sketch outlines how certain Islamic groups relate to each other, I feel like I have done little more than scratch the surface.    Knowing that different groups disagree on the legitimate successor to Mohammad or whether there are five, seven or twelve Imams can distinguish groups but does not little to explain their motivations and beliefs.    I also feel like my sketch of Sunni Islam is deficient, since I was only able to identify two sects within the Sunni world, both of which are on the conservative side of the spectrum.   Since the Salafi Jihadists oppose liberal muslims, it stands to reason that there must be liberal Sunni sects or factions, but I have not been able to find much about them.