January 31-2014
Former President Ali-Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani last week decried what he said were minor differences between Shiism and Sunnism, the two main branches of Islam. “Who was or wasn’t the first caliph is an historical issue, but it doesn’t have any bearing on the world today,” he said. Shiites consider Ali the proper first caliph after the passing of the Prophet Mohammad, but Sunnis list him as the fourth caliph. There are also differences in how the two branches stand and kneel to conduct prayer and wash before prayer. Rafsanjani said, “There is no logic for turning into a dispute how one does ablutions and prays.”
