Week 12:
Culture post:
The death of a peer becomes national news as thousands of his followers can descend on his home to take part in the funeral rites. It would be therefore not wholly unrealistic for these powerful figures to take up politics and a secondary profession. Where does the power of the peer come from? According to his followers, from God himself! A peer is considered a representative and close friend of God. This leads to immense exploitation of the masses. In order to get closer to god one must get closer to the peer. As an example, individuals descend on the peer in times of hardship. They pay him money to make a special prayer to God to ease the individuals suffering. This is a source of major revenue. Though concept of peer is a predominantly Sunni one, one can expect in certain circumstances for both Shia and Sunni Muslims to believe in the same peer.
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