From: "Maisy Biden" <[email-masked]>
To: "Hunter Biden" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 15 Apr 2015 09:10:56 -0400

1.

   What are the Origins of the sect?
   -

      Shiite Muslims are the product of the violent schism that followed
      the death of the prophet Muhammad in AD 632, and through the
centuries have
      generally been the losers in the struggle to lead the faithful and to
      divide patronage and power. That has left them with a sharp feeling of
      dispossession, of being a people denied their destiny by corrupt rulers.
      The split started with a fight over who should lead the faithful after
      Muhammad's death. One side believed that direct descendants of
the prophet
      should take up the mantle of caliph – the leader of the world's Muslims.
      They were known as the Shiat-Ali, or "partisans of Ali," after the
      prophet's cousin and son-in-law Ali, whom they favored to become caliph.
      They became known as Shiites.
      -

      Shi’ites follow Ali
      -

      120 Million of them in the world
      -

      The Shia consist of one major school of thought known as the Jafaryia
      or the "Twelvers," and a few minor schools of thought, as the
"Seveners" or
      the "Fivers." These names all refer to the number of imams they recognize
      after the death of Muhammad. The term Shia is usually meant to be
      synonymous with the Jafaryia/Twelvers.
      -

      The distinctive set of principles and institution of Shia Islam is
      the leadership which includes the idea that the successor of Muhammad be
      more than merely a political leader
      -

      The Twelver Shias further believe that the Twelve Imams who succeeded
      the prophet were sinless and free from error and had been chosen by
      Allah <http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/beliefs/god.htm> through
      Muhammad
      - Shia Holidays
      -

      In addition to the general Muslim holidays and Ashura (see above),
      the following days are of special significance to Shia Muslims.
      -

      Arba'een Arba'een - commemorated on the 20th of Safar, 40 days after
      Ashurah. Shias also remember the terrible treatment of the women of Imam
      Hussein's household - they were dragged from Karbala (central Iraq) to
      Shaam (Damascus, Syria) - with many young children dying of thirst and
      exposure along the route.
      -

      Eid al-Ghadeer - A celebration held on the 18th of Dhil-Hijjah
      marking the event of Ghadeer Khumm in 10 AH. The day on which God stated
      the completion of Islam. Laylatul Qadr is the biggest night, and Eid
      al-Ghadeer is the biggest day.
      -

      Eid al-Mubahila- A celebration held on the 24th of Dhil-Hijjah
      marking the event of al-Mubahila between the Household of the
Prophet and a
      Christian deputation from Najran, in 10 AH.
      -

      Milad al-Nabi - A celebration to mark the Prophet Muhammad's birth
      date, 17th Rabbi al-Awwal. Coincides with the birth date of the 6th Shia
      Imam, Ja'far al-Sadiq. (The Sunnis mark the occasion on 12th Rabbi
      al-Awwal.)
      -

      Mid of Shaban- Significant to all Muslims, but specifically to Shias
      as it also marks the birth date of their 12th and final Imam, Muhammad
      al-Mahdi
      2.

   What are the basic tenets and beliefs of your sect?
   -

      For Shiites, the first true leader of the Muslim community was Ali,
      who was considered an imam, a term used among Shiites not only
to indicate
      leadership abilities but also to signify blood relations to the Prophet
      Muhammad. As Ali’s descendants took over leadership of the Shiite
      community, the functions of an imam became more clearly defined.
Each imam
      chose a successor and, according to Shiite beliefs, he passed down a type
      of spiritual knowledge to the next leader. Imams served as both spiritual
      and political leaders. But as Shiites increasingly lost their political
      battles with Sunni Muslim rulers, imams focused on developing a
      spirituality that would serve as the core of Shiite religious
practices and
      beliefs. Shiites believe that when the line of imams descended from Ali
      ended, religious leaders, known as mujtahids, gained the right
to interpret
      religious, mystical, and legal knowledge to the broader
community. The most
      learned among these teachers are known as ayatollahs (lit. the “sign of
      God”).
      -
      -

      Shiite religious practice centers around the remembrance of Ali’s
      younger son, Hussein, who was martyred near the town of Karbala
in Iraq by
      Sunni forces in 680. His death is commemorated each year on the tenth day
      of the Islamic month of Muharram in a somber and sometimes violent
      ritualistic remembrance known as “Ashura,” marked among some
Shiites by the
      ritual of self-flagellation. As a minority that was often persecuted by
      Sunnis, Shiites found solace in the Ashura ritual, the telling of the
      martyrdom of Hussein and the moral lessons to be learned from it.
      -
      -

      "Twelver Shiism"—the most common form of Shiism today—is pervasive in
      Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Bahrain. Twelvers accept a line of twelve
      infallible imams descendent from Ali and believe them to have
been divinely
      appointed from birth. The twelve imams are viewed as harbors of the faith
      and as the designated interpreters of law and theology. Twelvers believe
      that the twelfth and last of these imams “disappeared” in the late ninth
      century. This “hidden imam” is expected to return to lead the community.
      -
      -

      Although most Shiites agree on the basic premise that Ali was the
      first rightful imam, they disagree on his successors. The
Ismailis, who are
      the second largest Shiite sect, broke off in the eighth century,
      recognizing only the first seven imams (the seventh was named
Ismail, hence
      the names “Ismaili” and “Sevener”). Historically and at least until the
      sixteenth century, the Ismailis were far more disposed than the
Twelvers to
      pursuing military and territorial power. In the past, they established
      powerful ruling states, which played significant roles in the development
      of Islamic history. Today, Ismailis are scattered throughout the
world but
      are prominent in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. There are also Ismaili
      communities in East and South Africa.
      -

      Although there are considerable differences between Sunni and Shiite
      Islam, the two Islamic sects share common traditions, beliefs, and
      doctrines. All Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad was the
messenger
      of Allah. All believe that they must abide by the revelations
given to the
      Prophet by Allah (as recorded in the Quran) and by the hadith (sayings of
      the Prophet and his companions). The concepts of piety, striving for
      goodness, and social justice are fundamental to Islamic belief and
      practice. Additionally, all Muslims are expected to live in
accordance with
      the five pillars of Islam: (1) shahada—recital of the creed “There is no
      God but Allah, and Muhammad is His Prophet”; (2) salat—five obligatory
      prayers each day; (3) zakat—giving alms to the poor; (4)
sawm—fasting from
      sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan; and (5) hajj—making a
      pilgrimage to Mecca once during a lifetime if one is physically and
      financially able.

   1.

   How and why does your sect differ from the other sects?
   -

      Sunnis
      -

         Are a large portion of Islam, while the Shi’ites are a very small
         portion
         -

         Believe that the caliph should be elected, while Shi’ites believe
         that the caliph should be hereditary

   -

      Wahhabis
      -
      -

      Suffis
      -

      Baha’ism
      -

      -

      -

      4. What Evidence is there that your sect is what Islam should REALLY
      be, as opposed to what the other sects claims?
      -

      their willing to self harm for their love to Allah
      -

      Ali should be the nex