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Shiite faithful defy danger to visit shrines

Shiites continue to risk their lives to visit their shrines, not only for religious purposes but also because they represent the sacrifices their ancestors endured under Sunni oppression.
Shi'ite Muslims attend a religious ritual at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, January 8, 2011.  REUTERS/Mohammed Ameen (IRAQ - Tags: RELIGION POLITICS) - RTXWC4X
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The significance of shrines for Shiites goes far beyond religious tourism or acts of adoration. These shrines are not merely a source of spiritual inspiration for them, but have long been their mainstays in political and social life. These shrines are related to main points of dispute that divided Islam into two different groups that nothing can now bring together.

Wilferd Madelung, a German academic in oriental studies, wrote: “No event in history has divided Islam more profoundly and durably than the succession to Muhammad.” But it seems that the death of Shiite imams and their children played a much bigger role than the succession of Muhammad in dividing Muslims.

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