Islams: A Primer

Sunni Muslims belong to any one of four mutually recognized schools that formulate Sharia, or divine law: Hanafi, Hanbali, Maliki and Shafa’i . The differences among these groups are not considered sectarian, but rather analogous to the corpus of case law available to U.S. lawyers in various jurisdictions. A variety of Sufi groups, or spiritual brotherhoods, each having its own particular tradition of prayers, also subscribes to Sunni Islam.

Shiite Muslims, on the other hand, belong to one of three major subgroups: Bohras, Ithna’ashariyya, or Twelver Shiites, and Nizaris. The differences among these groups are significant.

Why did these divisions in Islam come about and how have they evolved over the centuries?

More, from One magazine:

http://www.cnewa.org/default.aspx?ID=3337&pagetypeID=4&sitecode=HQ&pageno=1

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This Just In

A new circle has been added to Hell  (from The Onion):

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Ahem

Uh, several years ago I wrote a number of predictions, most of which proved to be totally inaccurate- that John McCain would not be the 2008 Republian presidential nominee, etc.- though I hasten to add that many of them- like a host of converts to Islam- may still come true:

http://caelumetterra.wordpress.com/2008/05/22/some-random-predictions/

Still, the second prediction on the list, that Bruce Springsteen will be the governor of  New Jersey (and I also said that he would be eventually president of the USA) does not now seem so far-fetched:

When Bruce Springsteen wrote Born to Run more than 30 years ago, it is a safe bet that the eventual destination he had in mind in his anthem to youthful hopes was not the governor’s residence.

But a poll suggests he would romp home in a race against the Republican incumbent in New Jersey, Chris Christie.

The Public Policy Polling survey ties the two on 42% but gives Springsteen much higher favourability ratings.

More: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2011/jul/21/bruce-springsteen-poll-governor

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For Sunday: Palestrina’s Ave Maria

Madonna and Child by Blessed Fra Angelico

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