From In Homeland Security
During the Cold War, it was common to discuss the various forms of socialism and communism. The intelligence community was well aware of this, and analysts were often well-versed in The Communist Manifesto. When it comes to combating Islamic extremism, the same level of expertise is needed.
Understanding Extremism
When studying Islamic extremism, it is important that analysts understand the various forms of Islam. This understanding needs to be greater than simply knowing there are Sunnis and Shi’a, but that there are forms of jurisprudence, which define the faith. For the Shi’a, there are four schools of jurisprudence, or fiqh, with the largest being Ja’farism, or Twelver.
Understanding how fiqh is being interpreted by Muslim clerics is as important today as it was to understanding the finer points of communism during the Cold War. U.S. foreign policy should be carefully informed by the interpretation of fiqh, and for the Shi’a Twelvers, this is a complicated endeavor.
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