Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Messianic Shia sect under investigation in Egypt

Egypt's State Security Investigation Office has opened investigations into 12 Shia Muslim individuals from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq and Australia arrested in September on charges of "promoting Shia doctrines and disparaging Sunni doctrines and the prophet’s companions."

They were also charged with "falsifying" the Muslim holy book, the Quran.
Investigations have so far revealed that the men received funds from "several foreign countries."

Members of the Shia sect claim that one of their number, Ahmed Hassan al-Yamani, who is wanted by police, is the “Awaited Mahdi” or the expected messiah of the Shia faith.

They all confessed to not recognizing Prophet Muhammad's historical successors, who they claim were "elected by men"--with the exception of Ali bin Abi Taleb, who they say was "elected by God." They also reject much of the Hadith, or the words and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad.

Since the early 2000s, authorities have periodically arrested Egyptian Shia Muslims.

Read more here.

Shia and Sunni differences are fairly significant and go way back.

For something on the historical origins of the split within Islam go here.

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