Ep. 6 | The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shi’ism | The Insight Interviews

Jul 30, 2023

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Episode 6:

An informative discussion with Dr. Toby Matthiesen, PhD, and Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol.

The topic of discussion will be on the his new book, The Caliph and the Imam: The Making of Sunnism and Shi’ism, which is an account of Islam’s schism that for centuries has shaped events in the Middle East and the Islamic world, in an attempt to obtain a deeper understanding of contemporary sectarian conflict and its historical roots.

Hosted by Dr. Vinay Khetia, the sixth instalment in our series 'The Insight Interviews', promises to be an engaging conversation.

Timestamps:

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:54 Tell us about your journey to writing this book

00:06:46 Are Shi'as and Sunnis always at war with each other?

00:11:22 The availability of information on how people lived their everyday lives in history

00:12:59 Distinction between communalist contemporary historiography and actual historiography

00:18:23 What role did Sufism play in the Sunni-Shiʿi dynamic?

00:23:09 The Weaponization of Spirituality

00:25:48 The role of the Fatimid Ismaʿili Empire on Sunni-Shi'i relations

00:32:38 Did the Seljuk period bring about the Sunni Revival?

00:35:57 Did the Ottomans oppress Shi'ism?

00:38:06 The Shrines of the Ahl al-Bayt under Ottoman Sunni rule

00:43:02 ttomans use of the image of Dhulfiqār - Ali's sword

00:47:21 Were Iran and Iraq always Shi'i nations?

00:48:12 How did Iran become Shi'i under the Safavids?

00:50:49 The Effects of European Colonialism on Muslim Societies

00:51:49 How the British Raj reinforced Shi'i-Sunni identities through legal code

00:57:46 How the British Influenced Indian law regarding Muslim sects

00:59:51 Muharram participation by non-Shi'is and non-Muslims before the British division

01:01:56 Conclusion

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