The biggest problem of Muslims is that there are two sects of Muslims in the world, as we all know--Sunni and Shii'a--yet in too many countries and situations across the world, they kill each other.
Get that.
They're both Muslims.
They both have nearly identical beliefs on what they and most people, really, consider to be the most important issues in the world and life but a bit of a difference between the kind of Muslim they are and all of a sudden they can't abide the other type Muslim.
I won't go into a detailed account here of their differences but I will put this one quote up on the differences of Sunni and Shii'a Muslims:
Sunni and Shia developed different political beliefs regarding the leadership after the death of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. All those who are in favor of Abu bakar, Umar and Ottoman ,the first three caliphs, are called Sunnis and those who believe that leadership only belonged to the family of the Prophet call themselves Shia. Shia Muslims believe that Ali was the legitimate successor and eligible as the first caliph since he was the cousin and son- in- law of the Prophet.
If you would like more information on the differences between these two types of Muslims, go to the links at bottom.
Anyway, it's insane. It is truly insane. It's psychotic.
Keeping all that in mind, here are some statistics on Muslims:
Islam is the world's second largest religion after Christianity. According to a 2009 demographic study, Islam has 1.57 billion adherents, making up 23% of the world population.[1][2]
Did you get that? Nearly ONE QUARTER of the world's population is Muslim. Added to that is the fact that they are also one of the fastest-growing populations of the world, too.
More:
Islam is the predominant religion in the Middle East, in northernAfrica[3][4], and in some parts of Asia.[5] Large communities of Muslims are also found in China, the Balkans, and Russia.[6] Other parts of the world host large Muslim immigrant communities; inWestern Europe, for instance, Islam is the second largest religion after Christianity, though it represents less than 5% of the total population.[7]
Approximately 50 countries are Muslim-majority.[2]
A demographic study conducted by the Pew Research Center in October 2009[1][2] found that there are 1.57 billion Muslims around the world, accounting for roughly 1 in 4 people.
Okay, so why do I mention this right now?
I bring this up because of this quote below, from The New York Times "Quotation of the Day" today and because of the state of the world right now, both in some isolated countries and, more specifically, the country we just blew up and have to put back together--Iraq--and now the one we're starting to blow up--that is, Libya, as well as too much of the Middle East:
"I think all countries probably would like to see Libya remain a unified state. Having states in the region begin to break up because of internal differences is a formula for real instability in the future." --DEFENSE SECRETARY ROBERT M. GATES
Looking at the "bigger picture" of the Middle East countries that are right now breaking apart--Libya, Tunisia, Bahrain, etc.--and, we hope, getting Democracy with a capital "D", at the heart of each of these countries are these Muslim people of both sects and their inability to tolerate and so, live with one another.
I think it is incumbent on all Muslims, worldwide, to push stringently for all of them to no longer even want ill of the other sect, let alone to kill or want to kill the other, first.
That seems obvious enough but I haven't heard this happening. I'm not aware of anyone pushing for this.
Second, I think it is also incumbent on the rest of the world--all religious and non-religious organizations, all political parties, all politicians, everyone, everywhere, to push for this one-quarter of the world's population to, again, not have it in their heads that they can or should kill or want to kill or even to wish ill on anyone in the other sect of their faith.
This needs to happen and it needs to happen immediately, ladies and gentlemen, all across the world.
It especially needs to happen in the Middle East, where their own countries need to pull together so they can form countries that works together for the benefit of all their own people and that of the world.
Any thing less is more insanity.
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