Attack on Imam Ali (KW) - 19th of Ramadan

On this day in Ramadan approximately 1,330 years ago, Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (KW), the 1st cousin of Prophet Muhammad (SAAS) and the 4th of the rightly guided caliphs, was stabbed with a poison-laced sword while he was leading the dawn prayer. Imam Ali was martyred from his wound on the 21st day of that Ramadan.

The martyrdom of Imam Ali was perpetrated by a MUSLIM by the name of Ibn Muljam from a group that has been labeled "Khawarij." Ibn Muljam's faction represents the first major split within the Muslim community where a group pronounced "takfeer" over other Muslims - "takfeer" is a pronouncement where one group of Muslims deems another as heathens. The martyrdom of Imam Ali sets into motion the second split within the Muslim community, the formation of the Shi'ah (partisans of Ali) movement.

Seeing Muslims killing one another in Iraq, Somalia and Sudan is nothing new. Muslims have oppressed other Muslims since the 1st generation of Muslims were alive. The 19th of Ramadan in its historical context symbolizes the destructive consequences of self-righteousness and the oppressive outcomes that manifest from those who seek to impose their religious views or leadership over the national interests.

Modern day "takfeer" pronouncers such as Osama Bin Laden are nothing new; they are an old disease that needs to be eradicated.