Background Papers On Sunni Vs. Shiite, Wahhabism And Salafiyya, And Madrasas (CRS)

The Congressional Research Service has just produced a trifecta of excellent background papers on Islam (hosted by the Federation Of American Scientists via Docuticker). The first provides a very comprehensive look (in just six pages) at the differences and similarities between Sunni and Shiite branches of Islam (Download full text here) and includes the nifty map displayed below (at a much better resolution).


The second, by the same author, Christopher Blanchard, and also weighing in at just six pages, talks about the "The Islamic Traditions of Wahhabism and Salafiyya" (Download full text here). As with all CRS reports, it also clearly lays out why the topic is important to US decisionmakers.

Finally, Blanchard writes another informative six page backgrounder on Islamic religious schools, madrasas (Download full text here). The section on the current state of the madrasas is probably the most interesting. Coupled with the recent Fora.tv broadcast on the same issue, it is possible to come away with a much better understanding of the role and issues surrounding the madrasas in a fairly short period of time.