Who are the Shi'is (Shi'a/Shi'ites)? How did the different factions (Alawite, Twelver, Zayidi, etc.) come to be, and which groups/states are they affiliated with now (Syria/Iran/Hezbollah/Yemen Insurgency)? MESC Director, Alam Payind, will provide background information, and address the headlines.
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Detailed description:
Who are the Shi'is (Shi'a/Shi'ites)? How did the different factions (Alawite, Twelver, Zayidi, etc.) come to be, and which groups/states are they affiliated with now (Syria/Iran/Hezbollah/Yemen Insurgency)? MESC Director, Alam Payind, will share knowledge and provide analyses regarding:
· the main groups within Shi-ism (12er, 7er, 5er), where they are, and the role less populous groups such as Alawites and the Houthis;
· global demographic information on Shi-i-majority countries and which countries have significant Shi-i minorities;
· the political power of diverse Shi-i groups hold in a variety of states, whether as majority or minority;
· Shi-i cultural practices and daily life;
· recent developments such as the taking up of arms against ISIL.
Related resources and information:
Historical information:
Gives further background to the distinction between the three primary groups of Shia https://faroutliers.wordpress.com/2006/10/12/shia-diversity-twelvers-fivers-seveners/
Provides distinction between the Twelver, Sevener (ismaili), and Fiver (Zaydi) branches of Shia Islam primarily in a historical context http://www.patheos.com/Library/Shia-Islam/Historical-Development/Schisms-Sects?offset=0&max=1
Demographics:
Contains population dispersion maps and tables for Islam as a whole and then breaks it down further into Shia Muslim populations, including what percentage of the country/world population the group makes up. http://www.pewforum.org/2009/10/07/mapping-the-global-muslim-population/
Current Developments:
ISIS' activities in Iraq have sparked major retaliation by Shia volunteer militias backed by Iran. Shia militias said to be just as if not more violent than ISIS.
Contains basic contextual information of situation leading to attack, the UN's response, and forecasts as to how this might benefit al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP).
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/01/20/world/yemen-violence/
Gives information regarding the shelling of the Yemeni president's residence after the palace was ceased. Includes more about the UN response to the coup
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-30903516
