The attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra ignited fury among Iraq’s Shi’ite majority by targeting one of the sect’s most revered shrines.More so than Sunni Arabs, Shi’ites believe in the sanctity of shrines. Shi’ites make pilgrimages to the shrines where the bodies of the sect’s imams are believed to be resting.The shrines date back to the 9th century, though the gold dome was completed in 1905. Their revered status comes from their connection to the imams, who are ‘‘part of the skeleton of the Shi’ite faith,’’ said Yitzhak Nakash, professor at Brandeis University.Shi’ites revere the line of succession that began with Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law Ali, while Sunnis follow the rule of Arab tribal leaders, called Caliphs.Shi’ites believe that the Caliphs were trying to wipe out Ali’s line of succession by killing off his heirs—the imams—over the first few centuries of the faith and that the 10th and 11th of Ali’s heirs, Ali Hadi and Hassan Askari, are buried in the shrine. —LATWP
