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WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Lebanon
Index
In the mid-1980s there were only a few hundred Ismailis in
various parts of Lebanon. The Ismailis are Shias known as Seveners
because they believe Ismail was the seventh Imam.
The Ismaili sect is divided into two branches: the Mustalian
branch is found primarily in North Yemen, and the Nizari branch is
found in the Iranian district of Salamiya, Afghanistan, Soviet
Central Asia, India, the hitral and Gilgit areas of Pakistan, and
East Africa. The Ismailis split into two branches over a succession
dispute. The current Nizari Imam is a revealed ruler and is well
known, even in the West, as the Agha Khan.
Ismaili beliefs are complex and syncretic, combining elements
from the philosophies of Plotinus, Pythagoras, Aristotle,
gnosticism, and the Manichaeans, as well as components of Judaism,
Christianity, and Eastern religions. Ismaili tenets are unique
among Muslims. Ismailis place particular emphasis on
taqiyya, the practice of dissimulation about one's beliefs
to protect oneself from harassment or persecution. Ismaili beliefs
about the creation of the world are idiosyncratic, as is their
historical ecumenism, toleration of religious differences, and
religious hierarchy. Furthermore, the secrecy with which they veil
their religious beliefs and practices (together with the practice
of taqiyya) makes it extremely difficult to establish what
their actual religious beliefs are. Their conceptions of the
imamate also differ greatly from those of other Muslims.
Data as of December 1987
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