SRI was pleased to speak at Butler University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This talk was sponsored by the Muslim Studies Endowment and the Butler Philosophy and Religious Studies Department.
Dr. Vinay Khetia’s presentation was entitled “Shia Islam: Origins and Future Trajectories”.
He addressed undergraduate students of religious studies in Indianapolis. This was a great opportunity to educate and interact with great young minds at Butler University.
Synopsis from Butler University:
Shīʾite Islam is the second largest branch of Islam. It consists of 15-25% of the Muslim population. However, its small number does not at all reflect the impact it is had on the larger Muslim world. From its inception, Shīʾite Muslims have seen themselves as the defenders of the oppressed. Unlike other world religions, the question of divisions of Islam does not only have to do with issues of politics and anthropology. Instead, Shīʾite Islam is born out of theological dispute which occurred at the time of the death of the Prophet Muhammad. An essential question which Dr. Khetia will address is whether the first division of the Muslim community came out of the question of who should succeed the Prophet or what kind of entity should have succeeded the Prophet? Dr. Khetia traces the importance of this question back to the seventh century and addresses how this question still informs Shīʾite Muslims today. Khetia will address what kind of role Shīʾism plays in the larger Muslim world and wider religious discourses.
