We have completed our readings of Dr. Liyakat Takim’s Shi’ism in America and discussed each chapter.
For this meeting, we want to focus on a few key themes from the book and discuss the ways that our community will handle these issues in the future. The following questions will shape the backbone of our discussion; we are looking forward to your responses to these issues and to whatever thoughts on the book you’d like to discuss that you felt were not discussed in prior meetings.
Chapter 2 focuses on the various elements from ethnicity to nationalism that makeup the identity of the Shi’i community. For a snapshot, read pages 55-67
What role do you imagine cultural and ethnic considerations will play in the construction of new community centers in the coming ten years?
Will we see major cultural shifts in the next fifteen years as the population of Shi’ah who are born and raised in the United States grow in number?
if so, what cultural elements will be dominant?
Dr. Takim expressed the view that so long as ethnic and cultural differences are important, we will see a further splintering of the community—in other words, he saw culture as a weakening element that divides the community (see the middle of p 61 for example).
Do you agree with this point of view?
Do you have ideas for how to maintain various cultural distinctions as part of the American Shi’i community’s shared heritage while bringing disparate cultural communities together on big-picture priorities?
What are the top-3 “culture” related hurdles that our community faces and how would you solve them?
If you were to write a Shi’ism in America Part 2 what additions or subtractions would you make to Chapter 2?
Chapter 3 focuses on Shi’i-Sunni dynamics in the United States. Dr. Takim spends a lot of time on international groups’ influence on Shi’i-Sunni dynamics (for example, pages 107-115).
Since the time of publication, much has changed in the Muslim community - there is now the strength of Zaytuna, Ta’leef, and other neo-traditional voices; the strong salafi community has changed - you now have a moderate Salafi voice that dominates through the views of the Yaqeen Institute and the changed views of Dr. Qadhi.
How have these dynamics affected Shi’i-Sunni relations in your mind, if at all?
What are the primary objectives you think the Shi’i and Sunni communities should begin to focus on together? These can be internal issues or they could be general social or political issues that you think the communities should work together on.
Are there joint Shi’i-Sunni projects that you have seen work well that you think present positive prospects for the future?
Chapter 4 focuses on Shi’i Leadership in the United States
Dr. Takim focused a lot on top-down community dynamics in the book; he spent a lot of time on international leadership from the offices of leading jurists (maraji’). And, again, a lot has changed since the publication of this book.
What leadership stories would you tell if you were writing Part 2 of the book?
How do you think youth-organizing has changed the leadership dynamic in the Shi’i community - if at all?
What leadership impacts - positive or negative - do you think emanates from institutional board members? What role do they play vis-a-vis community leadership?
What does the potential sanctioning of the international seminary wing in Qum mean for the future of Shi’i leadership in the United States?
We encourage you to purchase the book, but a PDF can be found in our Reading Resources Folder.
