The future of Islam may come out of what happens in Syria. It appears that Syria at this time is a defining moment for Islam. Though the Sunni populations of the world far outweigh the Shia ones in actual numbers, at present the minority Shia Government of Assad is supported by the Russian Army and the Iranian Army against the Rebels in Syria.
Though this is unfair to the majority Sunni in Syria and always has been still it is a fact of life there and this is why the Rebels have attracted extreme Sunnis in the form of Al Qaeda and other Sunni Islamists from as far as Chechnya and Malaysia to this war to fight for Sunni Rights there.
However, Iran understanding that it was always going to be an outnumbered by the Sunni and as leader of the Shia World it is creating Nuclear Weapons which Israel might attack with U.S. Logistical Support from Space literally any day in the next few years. Israel has already bombed missiles that Hezbollah was gathering to strike Israel with recently. And the Army of Hezbollah was created and financed specifically to annihilate Israel on day. They have stated this as their ultimate goal of their existence. However, if Hezbollah does that Israel will level Lebanon so it doesn't exist anymore as a nation in retaliation and has stated that it intends this if the Lebanese Army doesn't prevent Hezbollah from Attacking Israel.
So, in some ways now Israel might be the best friend of Sunni Muslims in the Middle East because "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" however tenuous that might be. Because for Sunni Muslims anyone who takes out Iran's Nuclear Weapons is their friend at least in this one point.
But, what I'm getting as an intuitive here is the future of Islam (both Sunni and Shia and all other sects) partly lies in what happens to Syria in the next 10 to 20 years there.
If one side wins decisively (this is extremely unlikely at present) the winner might define Islam for hundreds of years to come. More likely, it will stay a stalemate because literally neither side can afford to lose in Syria without disastrous consequences for either Shias or Sunnis now and in the coming centuries in the Middle East.
So, in a sense we are viewing in a very horrific way the future of Islam in Syria as we watch the fighting and atrocities there. And unfortunately, I think Saudi Arabia and Turkey likely will be the next to secretly acquire nuclear weapons directly because of what is happening in Syria and Iran. Nuclear weapons (because of Iran) might be the only way both Shia and Sunni Muslims can survive in their nation states on into the future. But, because of these weapons, if they were ever used, they could throw the whole world into turmoil or an all out War. At that point, all religions wouldn't exist because all humans or (99% of them) would be extinct along with all religions and civilizations likely at that point.
So, in a sense this is a defining moment not only for Islam but for all religions in the world and even for all those without any religion at all.
So, if someone asks, "Why should I be concerned about what happens in Syria?" it might be important to consider what I'm saying here. All our futures may be at stake because of what is happening in Syria right now and how this will affect us all in the near and far future.
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