On Friday, January 15, 2016 at 1:30:03 AM UTC+2, David Amicus wrote:
Besides the usual Sunni and Shi'ite sects I've recently come across
some Muslims being called "non denominational". What would make them different from others?
I think this was discussed before.
I find it difficult to imagine an observant Muslim and be
entirely "non-denominational". There are some differences
in the minutae of religious practices such as the number
of "bending" in ritual prayer (salat), though this is
usually not an issue and the person could follow whatever
the rest of the congregations does (Yes, there is a an ISIL
video of summary execution of Alawite truck drivers who
gave the "wrong" answer on this question, but that is just
ISIL insanity and not typical).
I would say that Sunnism is the default condition. It would
still be possible to be a Sunni and still respect the Shii
Imams as scholars. Shiism says something more, that they
have been graced as to the correct interpretation of the Qur'an.
Or you may be very heterodox or simply non-practicing.
Wiki showed a poll that most of Turkey is "non-denominational"
whereas in reality only the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam is
represented in the Directorate of Religious Affairs which
is resposnsible for setting the religious curriculum in schools
and pays the salaries of the imams and all else (recognition
of the Shia Alevi understanding and practices or even a
complete restructuring is now a political issue in Turkey).
So if one looks into the actual practices and beliefs of
these people in Turkey who claimed "non-denominational" or
just didn't qualify "Muslim" with something its very safe bet
that the overwhelming majority would be Sunnis of the Hanafi
school.
BTW the state practice has been Hanafi - Sunni ever since
the Seljuks, that is the 11th cent. CE.
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