Imams and Emirs

"Imams and Emirs" is a comparative study of Islamic sects in the contemporary Arab world. Ir focuses on the Sunni, the Shi'a, the Alawis, the Druzes, the Ibadis, the Zaidis and the Yazidis - and the Christian Maronites, who have been added to the group because they share the same distinguishing features. These include geographical isolation, territorial exclusiveness, intensity of rituals and duality of religious organization. The book's contribution is to examine not only dogma, but also the ecological, historical and structural variables that differentiate a religion from a sect, and a sect from a religious community or minority. The book focuises on religious ideology and "ulama" organization. Ideology refers to the genesis and formation of the religious community; organization to the recruitment, training and roles of the "ulama" (imams) in society. Whereas Sunni ideology and organization are adapted to the sovereignty of centralized authority (the state, the government), those of other sects are adapted to the sovereignty of the religious community. This explains why Sunni ideology tends to be conformist, while that of other setcs is rebellious.
Many Islamic sects began as rebellious groups and subsequently developed into stable, routinized systems. Conflict and contradiction among Muslims centre around two poles; the "ulama" who derive their authority from religious dogma, and the emirs or sultans who base their authority on power and coercion. In Sunni Islam, for instance, the "ulama's" role is subsidiary to that of the power elites, but among the Shi'a it is the "ulama" themselves who form the power elites. After reviewing the ideological and organizational characteristics of individual sects, Khuri addresses the issue of religious change under the heading "Brethren or Citizens". Here, he deals with the interplay between religions, state and nationalism and discusses the contradictions between modern state structures and the Islamic "umma". Already, he argurs, some religious concepts are taking on nationalistic meanings.