User talk:82.194.50.97

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According to academic historians, there were no Shi'a as they exist today back in the 7th century. There were a group of people who thought that Ali had been mistreated, and at the time that they refused to give their bay'ah to Abu Bakr, they WERE called Rafidi by the other Muslims. They are mentioned as such in various histories.

Today's Salafi use the term as a term of abuse for Shi'a, but in itself it is not abusive, and it doesn't imply hatred of Shi'a. Yes, they REFUSED to give their bay'ah. Today's Shi'a are proud of those people for refusing.

I am not a Muslim, or a Sunni, or a Salafi; I'm a Buddhist. Many Salafis would hate me just as much as they hate Shi'a. I am, however, trained to do history, and I want our history to be accurate. That includes using the words that were used at the time, even if you don't like them now. Zora 18:30, 25 February 2006 (UTC)