More questions

r3nu4l

I've posted here with questions before but want to make it clear I'm not considering converting to Islam...I'm just interested in knowing more so I can understand Muslims. I've worked with Muslims from Iraq and Libya in the past but want to know more about Irish Muslims and Islam in Ireland.

So, with everything going on in Iraq I hear a lot about Sunni and Shi'ah (sp?) sects but not about any other sects. I'm guessing there are more but that these are the major sects of Islam present in Iraq. Is that correct?

Secondly, is there a majority of one sect over another in Ireland? Do Irish Muslims go to different mosques because of these divides in the same manner that I as a Catholic go to mass in my church and wouldn't normally go to mass in a Protestant church?

Are there deep divides between Islamic sects in Ireland or do they get along famously because there are relatively few Muslims in Ireland?

That's about it for now. All replies appreciated

wes

The trouble with the Sunni and Shia are most prevalent in Iraq more than anywhere else due to Saddam's regime. There are also a few other places where there is violence between the 2, but no where is anywhere near as bad as Iraq.

As for other sects, I think within the sects you will find "Schools of Taught" which aren't sects per se but there differences there. There is also Sufi's but I don't think its is a sect unto its self per se as many still consider themselves Sunni or Shia.

I don't know about relations in Ireland between the 2 sects. Sunnis are the majority here as they are in most of the world. I think Shia's are are only the majority in Iran, Iraq and maybe Lebanon. I think the split is 85% Sunni and 15% Shia. Not a 100% sure on that.

InFront

I hear a lot about Sunni and Shi'ah (sp?) sects but not about any other sects. I'm guessing there are more but that these are the major sects of Islam present in Iraq. Is that correct?

Yes, that's true.

Secondly, is there a majority of one sect over another in Ireland?

Sunni, as is the case pretty much everywhere.
However, as Wes points out, people subscribe to different schools of jurisprudence as well here, tending to follow particular Imams whose line of thinking they agree with.

Do Irish Muslims go to different mosques because of these divides

I don't think people should look upon the Sunni-Shia relationship here as a 'divide' based on what they hear about from Iraq, Ireland is nothing like that. But yes there is a Shia mosque.

Are there deep divides between Islamic sects in Ireland or do they get along famously because there are relatively few Muslims in Ireland?

Some people think there is division, to be honest, there is neither a deep divide nor an especially deep unity.
This has been criticised by some, but there is value in such a structure too. The Muslim community in Dublin unlike other parts of Europe, tends to be pretty diverse and dispersed. There is a Council of Imams which acts as a unifying force, for example in deciding dates for religious obsevance under the Irish calendar. In fact there is only one leader, God.

r3nu4l

Thanks for the reply InFront, clearing up a few things for me but also generating more questions. That's the sign of a good teacher I'm told

InFront wrote:

Sunni, as is the case pretty much everywhere.
However, as Wes points out, people subscribe to different schools of jurisprudence as well here, tending to follow particular Imams whose line of thinking they agree with.

This is not an attack: Is this not akin to á la carte Islam? NOT an attack, just wondering how things are structured in Islam, I guess there is no supreme Imam like the Catholic Pope? Is that right? Is there no central dogma (catechism) that must be adhered to? Is it okay to decide that if you don't like what one Imam is saying you can just trot off to another whom you prefer and still be a bona fide Muslim? Again, I have to stress I'm not judging here, I'm asking the question as directly as I can.

InFront wrote:

I don't think people should look upon the Sunni-Shia relationship here as a 'divide' based on what they hear about from Iraq, Ireland is nothing like that. But yes there is a Shia mosque.

Cool, thanks for clarifying

InFront

there is no supreme Imam like the Catholic Pope? Is that right?

Yes, that is true.

Is there no central dogma (catechism) that must be adhered to?

Yes, there definitely is: The Qur'an and the Sunnah. The schools of thought arise from some different interpretations of these, however the fundamental teachings cannot change.

Is it okay to decide that if you don't like what one Imam is saying you can just trot off to another whom you prefer and still be a bona fide Muslim?

This link might be able to answer your questions better than I can. (Btw these schools of thought are named "Madh'habs")

I wouldn't agree that it is the same as "á la carte" which suggests that one picks and chooses certain things, but not others. We cannot choose what is in Islam, but I think you need to know which school suits best. The schools are not fundamentally different to one another, just in the way that their scholars interpret or 'fine tune' certain elements of Islam.
It is important that this should not be sen as division or the Madh'habs be seen as exclusive, divisory or antagonistic to one another - that is not the case. Also this is really just a very minor point and is not very significant to how Islam operates on a day to day basis.

This fatwa might also be a help to understand better.

http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/Satellite?pagename=IslamOnline-English-Ask_Scholar/FatwaE/FatwaE&cid=1119503543960

the common Muslim should follow the Jurists of his country and their Madhhab. But he should not insist on abiding by his Madhhab or belittle the other Madhahib. If it appears to him that the judgment pertaining to his Madhhab is weak in a certain issue, he should follow the judgment of the strong and sound Madhhab. A true Muslim always seeks the sound evidence and abides by it wherever it might be.