Shi'a Pundit

Devoted to the viewpoint of Islam of Muhammad SAW and Amir ul-Mumineen, Ali ibn Abi Talib SA, in the Shi'a Fatimi Ismaili Dawoodi Bohra tradition.

Handover in Karbala.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/7065923.stm

good news, I suppose:

US forces are to hand over control of security in the Shia province of Karbala to Iraqi troops early next week, US and Iraqi officials say.

US troops will remain in reserve positions to assist if called upon

of course it's not as simple as that:

Iraqi and US military officials have downplayed concerns over rivalries between Shia factions in the province.

"This place is about a struggle for power and influence and there are indeed inter-Shia rivalries where different groups are trying to be in charge and sometimes they revert to violence," said the US commander in the province, Maj Gen Rick Lynch.

The benchmark here is simple: damage to the shrines. I find it hard to believe that any Shi'a sect would willingly damage or put at risk the holy shrines. Of course by their nature they are targets for anyone with a vested interest in promoting sectarian violence... which includes both shi'a and sunni factions alike. On the whole, thouhg, there's not much choice here; iraqis have to take responsibility for the safety of the holy sites. So this is good news.

sigh.

Labels: karbala

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Kuwait clerics deny Bohra masjid.
http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=MTA1MjM1MzA2Mg==

KUWAIT: A controversy is ongoing over a plan by the government to grant the Bohra community in the country a plot of land to build a worship place as a senior Islamist MP yesterday called for scrapping the plan.

The cabinet has recently approved a request to provide the land for thousands of Bohras living and working in Kuwait to build their own worship place. The Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic Affairs then sent the request to the Municipal Council to allot the land in Ardhiya. The ministry asked for 1,600 square meters for the mosque and additional 5,000 square meters for a car parking lot.

The Municipal Council is due to discuss the ministry's request today (Tuesday) amid strong indications that the council will reject the request because none of the Bohra community living in the country is a citizen. Islamist MP Khudair Al-Enezi in a statement yesterday called on the government to scrap plans of awarding the land to Bohras.

The ostensible reason for denying the land is that Bohras are not citizens of Kuwait (which has typically nativist laws regarding immigrants and property ownership). However, the real reason is that Bohras are Shi'a and thus considered non-muslim kuffar as far as the ulema is concerned.

Labels: Bohra

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Ramadan blogging at City of Brass.

Please visit City of Brass for blogging during Ramadan.

Labels: Ramadan

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About Shi'a Pundit

Shi'a Pundit was launched in 2002 during the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. The blog focuses on issues pertaining to Shi'a Islam in the west and in the Islamic world. The author is a member of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community. Bohras adhere to the Shi'a Fatimi tradition of Islam, headed by the 52nd Dai al-Mutlaq, Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin (TUS).

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