tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12409358.post7319758803926771634..comments2023-05-04T03:03:42.248-07:00Comments on Interesting Times: Sunni and Shia - a map tells it allAndy McDermotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05269529304284937388noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12409358.post-36200166877072046352007-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:002007-01-14T13:31:00.000-08:00The differences between Shia and Sunni aren't what...The differences between Shia and Sunni aren't what's important here. Neither, for that matter, are the differences between Catholic and Protestant that raged over Europe and spilled into the Western Hemisphere. And neither are the differences between Muslims and Christians, Muslims and Jews, Muslims and Hindus or Muslims and Buddhists.<br /><br />What's important here is the political and economic realities -- religions at war, people at war, the rich struggling to hold on to their wealth and the poor struggling to survive. It is all so terribly terribly sad, really. The United States and Britain started something they don't appear to have the capability of finishing, even if they had the will to do so, which is doubtful.<br /><br />I would urge the leaders of the so-called "free world" to take a step back and define what the outcome is that they truly want. It all seems to be defined in negative terms -- we don't want Iran to have nuclear weapons, we don't want to see Iraq divided along ethnic and religious lines, we don't want Hezbollah or Hamas to govern the Lebanese or the Palestinians, etc. But what kind of world is it that we *do* want?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12409358.post-27418863144479572402006-10-24T15:53:00.000-07:002006-10-24T15:53:00.000-07:00Did the same research ask people if they know the ...Did the same research ask people if they know the difference between Catholics, Lutherans, Baptists, Episcopalians? I'm guessing most people couldn't tell you the differences between these sects of Christianity either.<br /><br />So, beyond their locational differences, what <i>are</i> the differences between the two sects?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com