What is wrong and what is right with sectarianism
Sectarianism in Islam has been widely criticized by both the Shi’a and the Sunni. Both parts accused each others for sectarianism although history shows that the Shi’a has been almost always the victim who suffered from it. I think there are many beneficial aspects of sectarianism in Islam that overwhelm the drawbacks. If you are tolerant and want to hear a “strange” opinion then read through those lines (and between them) carefully.
Accusing the Shi’a by sectarianism and putting them on the permanent defense was such a well planned and very effective strategy of the different rulers in Islamic world. It was a pretext for massacring the Shi’a in hundreds of thousands during the 1432 years of Islamic history.
It worked wonderfully for keeping the Shi’a away from any powerful positions in politics, economy and religion. And most dangerously, it destroyed the Shi’a self image forcing many of them to join the different non-religious parties to show that they are indifferent for religion. Thus, the Communist and the Arab Nationalist parties recruited the Shi’a young generations rode them to reach power and then discarded them using the same old pretext “sectarianism”.
By suppressing any Shi’a expression of sectarianism, the other groups could rule them by a hidden and extreme sectarian discrimination.
They story did not end when Saddam regime was changed because the same game was played again now to convince the Shi’a to let sectarianism aside for the sake democracy this time instead of Communism and Arab Nationalism.
In this way I think it is fair to have sectarianism in the society because suppressing it means undoubtedly repeating the injustice and the atrocities that happened so many times in Islamic history against the Shi’a.
But sectarianism does not necessarily mean conflict. We can have different loyalties, as we do in many situations, but we can find common points. The two things are NOT mutually exclusive as they seem to be.
When the prophet Mohammad started his mission, the Arabs were in 360 tribes. The prophet kept the tribal loyalty making it subordinated to the first loyalty which is Islam. What is wrong so if I am a Shi’a and you are a Sunni subordinating our sectarian loyalty to a bigger Islamic one?
