Ofra Bengio

The Sunna and Shi'a in History: Division and Ecumenism in the Muslim Middle East Ofra Bengio

Marc Notes: Originally published: 2011.; Includes bibliographical references.; Sunni-Shi'i relations have undergone transformations in recent decades. In order to understand these developments, the contributors demonstrate the complexity of Sunni-Shi'i relations by analysing political, ideological, and social encounters between the two communities from early Islamic history to the present. Biographical Note: Meir Litvak is Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University, Israel. Ofra Bengio is a Senior Research Fellow at The Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies and a Professor in Middle East History at Tel Aviv University. Review Quotes: "Although there have been a few previous works on the subject of ecumenism and conflict in Islam between Sunnism and Shi'ism, none has had the breadth and depth of this book. It will appeal to readers who want to be better informed about an important area that is vital to understanding what is going on the in the Middle East. It contains the work of a good range of writers who are strong in this area." - Moojan Momen, author of "An Introduction to Shi'i Islam" and "Understanding Religion"Table of Contents: Part I. Sunna and Shi'a in the Age of Muslim Empires -- Early Hanbalism and the Shi'a / Nimrod Hurvitz -- The confrontation between Sunni and Shi'i empires: Ottoman-Safavid relations between the fourteenth and the seventeenth century / Max Scherberger -- Encounters between Shi' i and Sunni ulama in Ottoman Iraq / Meir Litvak -- The Ottoman Dilemma in handling the Shi'i Challenge in Nineteenth-Century Iraq / Ismail Safa -- Part II. Sunnis and Shi'is and the Modem States -- Religious extremism and ecumenical tendencies in modern Iraqi Shi'ism / Amatzia Baram -- Quietists turned activists: the Shi'i revolution in Iraq / Ofra Bengio -- The Sunni-Shi'i struggle over Lebanon: a new chapter in the history of Lebanon / Eyal Zisser -- The Wahhabiya and Shi'ism, from 1744/45 to 2008 / Guido Steinberg -- Unity or hegemony? Iranian attitudes to the Sunni-Shi'i divide / Zeev Maghen -- Debating the awakening shi'a: Sunni perceptions of the Iranian Revolution / Meir Hatina -- Interesting times: Egypt and Shi'ism at the beginning of the twenty-first century / Rainer Brunner -- Epilogue: The Sunni-Shi'i paradox.

Contributor Bio:  Bengio, Ofra OFRA BENGIO is Senior Research Fellow and Head of the Kurdish Studies Program at the Moshe Dayan Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies, as well as Associate Professor (Emerita) in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at Tel Aviv University. A frequent commentator in Israeli and world media, she is the author of several books, including The Kurds of Iraq: Building a State within a State. She lives in Tel Aviv, Israel. Contributor Bio:  Litvak, Meir fm.author_biographical_note1