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nouna member of the branch of Islam that regards Ali as the legitimate successor to Mohammed and rejects the first three caliphs
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Definition that contains shiite
- ali the fourth caliph of Islam who is considered to be the first caliph by Shiites; he was a cousin and son-in-law of Muhammad; after his assassination Islam was divided into Shiite and Sunnite sects
- inc a heterogeneous collection of groups united in their opposition to Saddam Hussein's government of Iraq; formed in 1992 it is comprised of Sunni and Shiite Arabs and Kurds who hope to build a new government
- fatima youngest daughter of the prophet Mohammed and wife of the fourth calif Ali; revered especially by Shiite Muslims (606-632)
- imam (Islam) the man who leads prayers in a mosque; for Shiites an imam is a recognized authority on Islamic theology and law and a spiritual guide
- hezbollah a Shiite terrorist organization with strong ties to Iran; seeks to create an Iranian fundamentalist Islamic state in Lebanon; car bombs are the signature weapon
- ayatollah a high-ranking Shiite religious leader who is regarded as an authority on religious law and its interpretation and who has political power as well
- khomeini Iranian religious leader of the Shiites; when Shah Pahlavi's regime fell Khomeini established a new constitution giving himself supreme powers (1900-1989)
- mashhad the holy city of Shiite Muslims; located in northeastern Iran
- meshed the holy city of Shiite Muslims; located in northeastern Iran
- karbala a city of central Iraq to the south of Baghdad; a holy city for Shiite Muslims because it is the site of the tomb of Mohammed's grandson who was killed there in 680