Word: imam
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...Christianity. To the Shiite Moslems of Iran, Bahaism is a heretical splinter group. The controversy centers around their belief in the second coming of the Imam, a descendent of Mohammed's son-in-law AH, who will inaugurate a new and glorious era in history after a period of wars, eclipses and catastrophes. But the Bahais believe that the Imam already has come-heralded by one Mirza Ali Mohammed, who proclaimed himself Bab (Gate) and stirred up enough theological ruction to get himself executed by the government in 1850. He was followed by Mirza Hussein Ali, a wealthy cabinet...
...Imam of Yemen failed to inspire one of Edward Lear's famous limericks, it was only because Lear never heard of him. To this day little is known about this Moslem kingdom, the size of Nebraska, at the southern tip of the Arabian peninsula. That is the way Yemen's despotic ruler, the Imam Saif el Islam Ahmed, wants it. He bars foreigners and does everything he can to keep out of print. But last week there was print without stint: there had been a revolt against the Imam of Yemen. Tough Iraq-trained Colonel Ahmed Thalaya, mindful...
...Cairo to Karachi, the thin nasal wail of muezzins crying, "There is no God but Allah," calls the faithful to the salat al-jami, the obligatory Friday service. The devout shutter their shops, rush through a thorough washing, and hurry into the mosque. Clad in dignity and finery, the imam ascends the pulpit, murmurs "salaam alei-kum," recites a text from the Koran, and begins a sermon which rarely lasts more than 20 minutes. So it has been for centuries...
Islam lived through its first three centuries without any clergy at all, for each man is responsible for his own obedience to Allah. But increasingly the Friday service became a time when the imam discoursed on morals, freely relating the Koran to any contemporary subject, including politics. The opportunity was made to order for Egypt's fanatic and xenophobic Moslem Brotherhood, now driven underground by Egypt's military junta. One recent Friday an imam who belongs to the Brotherhood preached that the government had sold out to the British. He paused dramatically, then he called attention...
Temporize & Hang On. Not so loyal to the French was Sultan Ben Youssef, though as the third son of the previous Sultan he had been hand-picked and tutored for the job by the French. As the Imam (Commander of the Faithful), he had immense authority and a good living: two wives, many concubines, vast estates, 60 automobiles and $200,000 a year spending money. All he had to do was behave. Back in 1943, the French began to suspect that Ben Youssef was getting out of hand. During the Casablanca conference, the Sultan had a meal alone with Franklin...