Author: MandarinTangerine

The Druze are a small, independent sect who reside in Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. They number as many as 2 million.

They originated in the 11th century as an offshoot of Ismaili Shiism. They consider themselves strict monotheists holding to tenets arising from Islam, Christianity, Judaism with added elements of Gnosticism and Neoplatonism. They believe in reincarnation. Many of their specific teachings are considered secret and known only to an inner core of believers.

Druze is a closed religion. One cannot convert to the Druze faith nor can one leave the religion. Marriage out of the faith is not allowed.

Their political fortunes in Syria are confused. Previously, they supported President Assad. Assad indicated he would protect them against Islamic terrorists, but forced conscription of young Druze males has eroded the President’s support.

In Lebanon, Walid Jumblatt, the main Druze spokesman, has opposed the Assad regime.

The Druze in Israel remain loyal to the Israeli government.

The small size of the Druze community in any country makes them vulnerable to oppression and bias. The concern is that they may fall prey like the Yazidis who suffered in Northern Iraq.

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By condemning Qatar’s supposed “terrorist” stance, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Bahrain continue their attempts to isolate their fellow Gulf Cooperation Council member. Kuwait has been active in attempting to ameliorate the squabble.

But Qatar recently made themselves the most open country in the region by deciding to admit citizens of 80 countries on the basis of passports alone, without the need for visas.

Meanwhile Qatar has carried on joint military exercises with Turkey.

Saudi Arabia bombs poor Yemen, still in the siege of a cholera epidemic.

Al Jazeera, a major source of news for the Arab world, supported by Qatar, is at odds with their Arab neighbors.

Thus, we enter a re-ordering of the Arab world in the Gulf.

The Yazidis are a religious minority who reside mainly in the Nineveh province of northern Iraq and also in parts of Syria, Iran, and Turkey. Although they are monotheists, they are syncretistic observing a combination of Zoroastrianism, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism beliefs. Perhaps because of their lack of specific identification with any of the great religions, they have been set aside from most of the day’s news.

In August 2014 ISIL fighters attacked the Sinjar region of Iraq. Men were killed and women and children were kidnapped. It is estimated that 3000 Yazidi women and children still remain in ISIL captivity.  The Iraqi troops invading Mosul failed to recover these victims who were held in that city. The fate of the females among the group is unknown, but it is likely they were inserted into the sexual slave trade economy.

In the past there was the slave trade which supported the agrarian economy throughout the world. Now we have advanced to the trading of sex slaves. The Yazidis, who have  little voice, are ideal candidates for this revenue. We should be vigilant for the day they begin appearing in the US sexual slavery business.

Much of this blog relied in Al-Jazeera as a source of information.

The split between Sunni and Shia was early in the life of Islam. The problem began when Abu Bakr was chosen as the successor to Mohammed. Those opposing the choice believed that Ali, the closest male relative of Mohammed, was the proper successor.

The split was compounded when Ali’s son, Hussein, was killed at the Battle of Karbala when he rebelled against the current Sunni Caliph. This event elevated Hussein to the status of martyr, and his martyrdom is commemorated yearly by the Shia.

The central theological difference, then, between Sunni and Shia is that the Shia believe biological inheritance of the authority of Mohammed is the key to belief, faith, and knowledge. The basis for authority is the direct inheritance from Mohammed. This inheritance confers inspired information. Thus, the authoritative imam, identified by inheritance, is the divinely appointed ruler.

On the other hand, the Sunni believe that spiritual authority is conferred by the wise opinion of the general community of Islam.

The source of spiritual authority is the principal difference between Sunni and Shia Islam.

We see this difference reflected in the spiritual ruler of Iran, the Ayatollah Khamenei, and the current ruler of Saudi Arabia, King Salman.

Other differences center around economic issues. In most areas the Sunnis control the economic forces, and thus the Shia are often relegated to lower status.

In most countries, the Sunni constitute the majority.

Still, with these important differences, Shia and Sunni have lived together in relative peace of centuries. Intermarriage is common. In the US Shia and Sunni often worship in the same mosque.

So, then, what is the source of the current troubles between the two groups? Today, the main issue appears to be a desire for power rather than any theological difference. The current battles between Sunni  and Shia in Iraq and the ongoing conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran are prime examples. They don’t argue about religion but rather political control.

Any solution, if there is one, resides in the area of political dialogue.

Given our drift to modernity, one might think religion is no longer the issue in Middle East politics. Hasn’t the world advanced beyond those old, very old, differences? Surely, the issue is more likely oil, political power, land, or some combination thereof.

But an analysis of the Sunni/Shia disposition of the combatants suggests that religion is still at the heart of the conflicts. Christians and Jews take the sideline in these confrontations.

The evidence for the contention that religion is the issue is circumstantial but strong nevertheless by virtue of the way the parties stack up.

The prototypical example is the Iran-Saudi Arabia mess. Saudi Arabia is Sunni, and Iran is Shi’a. The two countries fear each other and have no plan for settling their differences. They are engaged in a proxy war in Yemen with the Iranians assisting the Houthis and the Saudis bombing in support of the old Hadi government. The Houthis are an obscure branch of Shi’a Islam, which is a Fiver sect of Shi’a rather than the more common Twelver sect. The numbers five and twelve indicate of the numbers of approved or inspired imams ruling since Mohammed. Those who support Hadi are Sunni.

In Iraq, the conflicts have also centered about the Sunni/Shi’a conflict. The northern portion of the country is under Sunni influence, and the southern portion is predominantly Shi’a. The current government is under Shi’a control, and alliances with Shi’a Iran have strengthened.

The Syrian Civil War also has its basis in the Shi’a/Sunni conflict. Assad’s Alawite ruling minority is branch of Shi’a Islam. They are supported by Iran. The Sunni majority in the country are supported by Gulf states and Turkey. While ISIL has complicated the mix by opposing everyone, the basic trouble remains between Sunni and Shi’a.

Finally, Lebanon and Palestine, when they have the energy, periodically take up the conflict. Lebanon, primarily Shi’a, and Hezbollah, their Shi’a splinter group, clash with Sunni Palestine and Hamas, their political action group.

Next, we’ll take up the reasons for the Shi’a/Sunni dispute.

While the Yemeni population is under attack by cholera, with more 300,000 cases, the Houthis remain in on-going conflict with Saudi and US forces.

Who are the Houthis? The Houthis are a Zaidi sect of Shi’a Islam, which arose in northern Yemen in the 1990s. They are religiously derivative of the standard Twelver Shi’as, but they do not believe in the infallibility of the imams.

Having originated in northern Yemen, they are considered as unsophisticated by those in San’aa and southern Yemen. They are known as brave and effective fighters. Their overall concern has been political independence and the distribution of fairness from governmental authorities.

They have allied themselves on one hand with the former Yemeni President, Abdullah Al-Saleh and against the succeeding Hadi government. The Houthis appear to be solidly in control of the capital, San’aa.

The current accusation and concern is the Shi’a Iran is supplying the Houthi war effort. Hence, the opposition has arisen from Sunni Saudi Arabia. The degree to which the US is assisting the Saudis is uncertain.

Consequent to the unsettled opposition between the Houthis and the Saudis, the conflict in Yemen continues in the middle of the cholera epidemic. Neither side takes responsibility for the humanitarian disaster, and the international community lacks the will and the funds to intervene effectively.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and Egypt are boycotting Qatar. The stated reason for their action is Qatar’s supposed, excessive support for terrorism.

The boycotters demands that Qatari drop its support for Al-Jazeera, the Qatari news network. The boycotters state the Arabic language version of Al-Jazeera contains  support for suspicious groups.

How odd that Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE, and Egypt desire to silence a free journalistic endeavor in the Gulf! Egypt still holds an Al-Jazeera journalist.

If the boycotters are so altruistic, why do they fear the free press? This demand diminishes their credibility.

The position of the US is unclear, even though our largest naval base resides in Qatar.

Little Kuwait tries to mediate the crisis. Thanks to the Kuwaitis for their good sense.

The US health care debate plugs along as we consider who gets what. We wonder what the plan of the day means to “me.” The US Constitution does not guarantee health care, but, as a Christian, I note the Bible says we should care for the sick and poor around us. “Is there no balm in Gilead? Is there no physician there? Why then has the health of my people not been restored?” (Jeremiah 8:22)

Even as a non-Christian nation, our tacit social compact says we should we should care for the sick.

Let me compare our health care system with that of Saudi Arabia. I emphasize I am not a health care economist and that the the statistics I show may be subject to question. But I have been a physician for almost fifty years.

Article 31 of the Saudi constitution guarantees free health care to its citizens. The Kingdom has a three-tiered system of public health care (primary, secondary, and specialty) that is designed to deliver services to all its citizens. The specialty level services are much like our ours, including high tech cardiovascular care and bone transplant for cancer. In addition, there is a private system providing care to those who desire it. A private MRI in Saudi Arabia might cost $500. In the US the cost is about three times as much, at best.

The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per person in Saudi Arabia is $55,000. In the US the GDP per person is a comparable $57,000. In the US the total health expenditure per person is $9403. In Saudi Arabia it is $2466 (stats from WHO). We pay four times as much with the same GDP per person for the same coverage. Huh?

I am not saying everything is great in Saudi Arabia. Our infant mortality rate is 5.82/1000, and theirs is 13.48/1000. Why is theirs so bad? This may be related to cultural and geographic differences (i.e. bedouins in outlying areas.)

As an additional note, Kuwait has a similar system to Saudi Arabia with a GDP/person of $72,000 and a health care cost/person of $2320. Due to their smaller size and more homogenous population, their infant mortality rate is comparable to ours, 7.66/1000.

So, we are paying four times as much per person as the the rich Middle Eastern countries for comparable health care. Are we greedy or stupid?

The ambiguities of Yemen: Qat, the jambia, and cholera.

Qat, a narcotic leaf used by almost all Yemenis, is one of the country’s main cash crops. It has no nutritive value, robs the soil of needed water for other crops, and may have a carcinogenic effect with prolonged use. Even in the face of deteriorating social and economic conditions, the use of the drug continues. But where else can the Yemenis turn?

The jambia is a curved decorative dagger, often with a jeweled handle, which for the most expensive jambias may be made of rhino horn. The dagger is worn by all Yemeni men with a leather belt strapped around the upper abdomen. The jambia is a source of pride with the most expensive jambias worn proudly by the rich.

Meanwhile the cholera epidemic proceeds with more than 100,000 cases and at least 1000 deaths, mostly children.

And  Saudi Arabia bombs Yemen, with the assistance of the US.