They study the book of Jafaar al-Saadaq. They also believe Ali is the purpose of life and the divine knowledge of the prophet Mohammed, which actually rises him above the Prophet in their eyes. The religion is also very secretive, and they do not publish their texts or share them with other sects.
The Alawites recognize the Five Pillars of Islam, but do not believe that anyone can practice them because no soul is pure enough to practice them. They also do not believe in a back door entrance to heaven.
The evolution of political Islam actually began during the age of Imperialism, when there was widespread corruption and oppression in the Muslim world. The politicization of Islam was a result of Muslim fundamentalists and Islamic revolutionary movements rising up in protest over this treatment, along with protests against corrupt Muslim regimes in the region. These revolutionaries hoped to create a government based on the fundamental tenets of Islam, and it has become so broad that it really encompasses any Muslim revolutionary movement. The term "Islamist" has come to mean anyone engaged in political Islam, and Islamists exist in just about...
Because of this, Islamic politics is constantly under criticism from one group or another and the fundamentalists and extremists can never seem to agree on most aspects of Islamic politics.
The prognosis for secular Islamic politics is extremely poor, as the situation in Iraq clearly shows. The Sunnis and the Shi'is are fighting amongst each other on the streets and in the government, and the Kurds feel left out and forgotten in political representation. Each faction wants its own representatives to run the government, and there are no ways to mend the differences, it seems. The factions need to work together for the common good, but there are so many differences between them, this seems like an impossibility. It seems that the volatile situation in the Middle East could be much more amicable if the parties would simply agree with each other and attempt reconciliation and understanding. However, historically, the sects have always agreed to disagree, and until the Muslim people can learn to accept each other and band together to form a stronger union, Muslim politics will always be volatile and unsettled.
