No to Shiite

In July 1982, I attended a 'muktamar Islamiah' at el-Rashid Hotel, Baghdad, that grouped about 2,000 Sunni scholars from all over the world. Themed 'Only One Islam', it was officiated by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

In his speech - a war propaganda or not - Saddam said among the main reasons he launched a war against Iran was to stop the spread of Shiite (Syiah) to other parts of the Middle East and the Islamic world.

Shiite, he said was a deviation of Islam and therefore must be put to a stop. Among those who attended were from a Lebanon sect Sunni Murabbitoun, which after the assassination of President Amin Gemayel in 1987 was banned by Beirut central government.

Whether I agree with Saddam or not, is my personal domain but Iraq during its 1980-1986 war with Iran was a resilient society, probably because the government totally controlled its Shiites, one third of the country's population.

Mosul and Karbala, being the 'holy cities' of the Shiites, were only allowed to organise annual rite, 'Haul' under tight security measures. Other Shiite settlements in Iraq were Suleimaniyeh, Arbil, Khanaqin and Basrah.

I am writing this in support of our government's stand, especially what Home Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that Malaysia cannot accept the teachings of Shiite or Syiah.

No, I am not an ulama, neither am I a Muslim scholar but I have been to Iraq Iran, Sudan, Somalia, Oman and other Islamic countries where Syiah came face to face with Sunnah, creating a big Muslim brotherhood divide which in some cases erupted into civil war.

I have been to Behestil-Zahrah in Qom at the outskirt of Teheran where the Shiite greatest imam Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini was laid to rest inside a big, grand a la mosque complex, and whoever enters and prays inside it will face Khomeni's tomb (above pic) as the 'kiblat', unlike the Sunnis who will face the direction of Kaabah in Mecca.

Home Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said that he does not want Malaysia to turn into Iraq which he says is in turmoil because of the existence of the Sunni and Shia Muslim communities.
"Iraq used to have only one school of thought and that was Sunni, but now there are the Shia and the Sunni groups and this has divided the country. We do not want that here," he said.
Ahmad Zahid was responding to a statement by an Iraqi parlimentarian in Baghdad, Iraq, Sheikh Jalaluddin Ash-Shoghir, recently, who had said that the Malaysian government was the first in the world to of
“Malaysian companies are happily reaping multiple projects in Iraq and many business opportunities have been specially handed to the Malaysian government,” the cleric had said in a Youtube video that has gone viral.
Malaysian firms, including Petronas, invest in an oilfield in Gharraf, Iraq.
Iraq’s population consists of more than 65% Shia followers.

I don't want to write at length. I believe the government knows what we are dealing with. My only understanding (as a born Muslim) is, there is only one Islam - Sunnah wal-Jamaah!