https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtwkNT4QXPY
Sunday, January 11, 2026
Shia Muslims are 10-15% of the Islamic World.
Shia Muslims constitute approximately 10% to 15% of the Muslim population. Some estimates vary slightly, ranging from 10% to 13%, which accounts for roughly 200 to 300 million people worldwide as of 2026.
Sunni Muslims are thus 85-90%.
Countries with Significant Shia Populations
- Iran: Overwhelming Shia majority (90-95%); 66–70 million.
- Iraq: Shia majority (approx. 65-70%); 19–22 million .
- Azerbaijan: Shia majority (approx. 65-70%).
- Bahrain: Shia majority among citizens (approx. 70%).
- Lebanon: A large Shia community, making up 45-55% of Muslims, with a significant political role.
- Yemen: A large Zaydi Shia minority (35-40% of Muslims).
- Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Turkey, India, and Syria: All have substantial Shia communities, though Sunnis are the majority in most of these nations.
10 Facts of Shia Islam
- Origin of Name: The term "Shia" is derived from the Arabic phrase Shi'atu Ali, which means "Followers of Ali".
- Leadership Dispute: Shias believe that after the Prophet Muhammad's death in 632 CE, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin and son-in-law, Ali ibn Abi Talib, whom they believe was divinely appointed.
- The Concept of Imamate: Unlike Sunnis, who view leadership (the Caliphate) as a political role, Shias believe in the Imamate, a line of divinely guided leaders from the family of the Prophet (the Ahl al-Bayt) who possess infallible religious authority.
- Major Branches: There are three primary branches based on the number of Imams they recognize: Twelvers (the largest), Ismailis, and Zaydis.
- Demographics: Shias form the majority of the population in Iran, Iraq, and Azerbaijan, and roughly half of the citizen population in Bahrain.
- The 12th Imam (Twelver Belief): Twelvers believe the 12th Imam, Muhammad al-Mahdi, entered a state of miraculous "occultation" (hiding) in the 9th century and will return to establish justice on Earth.
- Significance of Karbala: The martyrdom of the Prophet’s grandson, Husayn ibn Ali, at the Battle of Karbala is a central event. It is commemorated annually during the first ten days of Muharram, culminating in the Day of Ashura.
- Five Key Beliefs (Usul al-Din): Shia theology is built on five core principles: Tawhid (Monotheism), Adalah (Divine Justice), Nubuwwah (Prophethood), Imamah (Divine Leadership), and Ma'ad (Resurrection/Judgment).
- Unique Religious Practices: Shias observe the Ten Obligatory Acts, which include standard Islamic practices like prayer and fasting, but also Khums (a 20% tax on surplus wealth) and Tawalla/Tabarra (loving the Ahl al-Bayt and distancing from their enemies).
- Prayer and Prostration: Shias often combine the five daily prayers into three sessions (though still performing all five prayers) and typically prostrate on a Turbah—a small tablet of dried clay, usually from Karbala—as they believe prostration should only occur on natural Earth.
Other sects of Islam
- Ibadism: A distinct branch, often grouped with Kharijites, making up about 0.5% of Muslims, with a notable presence in Oman.
- Sufism: A mystical dimension within Islam, with various orders (e.g., Qadris, Chistis) present in both Sunni and Shia traditions, focusing on inner spiritual development.
- Wahhabism/Salafism: A fundamentalist Sunni movement advocating a return to early Islamic practices, often associated with Saudi Arabia.
- Ahmadiyya: A movement founded in the late 19th century, with millions of followers globally, distinct in its theological views.
- Non-denominational Muslims: A growing segment, particularly in Central Asia and Southeast Asia, identifying simply as "Muslim" rather than a specific sect, according to Pew Research Center.
Key takeaway: While Sunni and Shia dominate, Islam is diverse, with numerous smaller schools (like Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i, Hanbali within Sunni) and movements, forming a rich tapestry of beliefs and practices.
Mind-Blowing Time Travel Movies: TOP 20 Must-Watch!
https://youtu.be/_zMpQFKhZPA?si=IINPskdZgpx32KQe
Here is a summary of the movies presented:
• About Time (2013): A warm and emotional film where a young man uses his family's time-traveling ability to fix awkward moments and find love, learning that living in the present is the real magic (1:16-2:13).
• Tenet (2020): A mysterious agent is pulled into a secret war where time itself is a weapon, with objects and people moving both forward and in reverse, creating a complex, action-packed puzzle (2:18-3:07).
• Source Code (2011): A tense thriller where a soldier repeatedly wakes up in another man's body on a commuter train, reliving the same 8 minutes to find a bomber before a bigger attack (3:12-3:56).
• The Time Machine (1960): A classic about a Victorian inventor who builds a time machine and travels to a distant future where humanity has split into two distinct peoples, exploring themes of progress (4:02-4:53).
• Time Bandits (1981): A lonely boy discovers a wardrobe that opens into the fabric of time, joining a band of chaotic thieves on a robbery tour through different eras, encountering kings, warriors, and legends (5:03-5:52).
• Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986): The Enterprise crew travels back to the 1980s to bring humpback whales to their own time to save Earth from a mysterious probe, blending comedy, environmental messages, and warmth (5:56-6:50).
• Timecrimes (2007): A small, tense Spanish thriller where an ordinary man is accidentally thrown back in time by an hour, leading to a twisting loop where every action creates new problems (6:55-7:48).
• Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989): Two clueless metalhead teens use a time-traveling phone booth to gather famous historical figures for their history presentation, resulting in a goofy and good-natured ride through time (7:51-8:39).
• La Jetée (1962): A French short film, built almost entirely from still photographs, about a man haunted by a childhood memory who is sent through time after a devastating war to save humanity (8:43-9:36).
• Predestination (2014): A mind-bending thriller about a temporal agent who travels through time to stop crimes, leading to a deeply personal and intricate time travel paradox (9:41-10:33).
• Edge of Tomorrow (2014): A military officer played by Tom Cruise relives the same day of battle against an alien force, using each reset as training to transform into a warrior (10:37-11:36).
• Donnie Darko (2001): A troubled teenager in the late 80s narrowly survives an accident and begins seeing a disturbing figure who tells him the world will end soon, leading to a haunting mix of suburban drama and sci-fi (11:40-12:29).
• Primer (2004): Two young engineers accidentally invent a device that opens a door into the past, leading them to secretly slip through time and bend events to their advantage in a complex and grounded sci-fi film (12:33-13:38).
• Interstellar (2014): A former pilot is recruited to travel through a wormhole near Saturn to find a new home for humanity, leaving his children behind and facing emotional costs where time moves differently (13:41-14:34).
• Planet of the Apes (1968): Astronauts crash-land on a seemingly distant world where intelligent apes rule over primitive humans, raising questions about power, prejudice, and civilization (14:38-15:27).
• Looper (2012): In a future where time travel is illegal and used by criminal gangs to erase victims, a hired gun discovers his latest target is his own older self, leading to a desperate chase over the future (15:36-16:28).
• Groundhog Day (1993): A cynical TV weatherman is forced to relive the same day repeatedly, initially treating it as a joke, then a nightmare, and finally as a chance for self-improvement and finding meaning (16:32-17:21).
• 12 Monkeys (1995): A prisoner from a ruined future, where a deadly virus has wiped out most of humanity, is sent back in time to gather clues about the outbreak, facing a chaotic present where no one is sure what is real (17:24-18:16).
• Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991): A young John Connor is protected by a reprogrammed metal killer from the future and must stop a terrifying new model that can reshape its liquid body, aiming to prevent the future war against machines (18:21-19:17).
• Back to the Future (1985): Marty McFly accidentally activates a time machine and is thrown from the 80s back to the 50s, where he runs into his own parents as teenagers and risks changing his family's future forever (19:24-20:19).
15 Time Travel Movies https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2026/01/time-travel-movies.html?m=1
What are your favorite Dystopian Movies? https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2025/10/dystopian-movies.html?m=1
15 Mind-Blowing Time Travel Movies You’ve Never Seen (That Aren’t Back To The Future)
The video, "15 Mind-Blowing Time Travel Movies You’ve Never Seen (That Aren’t Back To The Future)," explores time travel films that portray the concept not as a fix-all solution, but as a source of entrapment, identity erasure, and permanent damage (0:13-0:22). These films often went unnoticed or were misunderstood upon release but resonate more powerfully today (0:24-0:28).
Here's a summary of the movies discussed:
• Primer (2004) (0:35): This film follows two engineers who accidentally discover time travel. It's unsettling because it offers minimal explanation, causing characters and viewers alike to lose track of timelines, leading to a realistic collapse of reality and fractured identities (0:39-1:13). The horror lies in the realization that once time is broken, it's impossible to be sure it's fixed (1:56-1:59).
• Time Crimes (2007) (2:07): A quiet man accidentally stumbles into a time machine, trapping himself in a brutal loop where every attempt to fix things only makes them worse (2:20-2:28). The film highlights the moral weight of the protagonist's actions as he's forced into unsettling choices to preserve the timeline, realizing he is the mistake (2:49-3:01).
• Frequently Asked Questions About Time Travel (2009) (3:47): This movie begins innocently with friends in a pub, but time travel casually intrudes, leading to looping conversations, branching timelines, and existential dread (4:11-4:30). It suggests time travel is messy and often misused, leading to social awkwardness and broken friendships rather than grand paradoxes (4:41-4:52).
• ARQ (2016) (5:28): A couple wakes up to masked intruders, only for the day to reset repeatedly. This loop is a physical and mental cage, with pain and exhaustion carrying over, leading to eroded trust and desperate actions (5:35-6:10). The loop is revealed to be part of a larger system of exploitation, making escape feel like damage control rather than victory (6:17-6:47).
• The Caller (2011) (7:08): Time travel is introduced through a ringing phone, connecting a woman in the present to someone in the same apartment decades earlier (7:14-7:30). The calls start subtly changing things in the present, highlighting how invasive and unpredictable even gentle interaction with the past can be (7:38-8:02).
• Triangle (2009) (8:39): A group of friends on a boat stumble upon an abandoned ocean liner, only to find themselves in a loop designed to punish them (8:50-9:18). The film centers on one woman, whose past reveals the cruel nature of the loop as a sentence rather than a second chance, making every attempt to change the outcome tighten the trap (9:20-9:43).
• The Jacket (2005) (10:12): A troubled war veteran is subjected to a bizarre treatment that causes him to fracture time, pulling him into future moments (10:30-10:48). The film creates unsettling uncertainty about whether his experiences are time travel, hallucinations, or a damaged mind, making knowledge of the future a desperate burden (10:52-11:29).
• The Infinite Man (2014) (11:56): A man obsessively plans a perfect weekend for his girlfriend using time loops to fix tiny emotional missteps (12:03-12:29). Instead of improving the relationship, each reset suffocates it, revealing the cost of control and the fear of accepting that some things cannot be perfected (12:34-13:19).
• Coherence (2013) (13:40): A dinner party descends into chaos when a comet passes overhead, causing reality to slip and different versions of themselves and their neighborhood to emerge (13:52-14:16). Time travel becomes an environmental hazard where morality is optional, and survival might mean replacing someone else (14:18-15:03).
• Predestination (2014) (15:24): This film dismantles traditional time travel tropes by making identity itself the paradox (15:36-15:43). It follows a time agent whose life is stretched across decades and altered by time travel, leading to the chilling realization that free will may not exist as every major event is caused by a future version of oneself (15:45-16:37).
• Synchronic (2019) (17:10): Time travel is introduced as a dangerous street drug, causing users to randomly appear in different eras with no protection or guarantees (17:13-17:48). The film is an emotional story about friendship and loss, highlighting modern anxiety that life-altering forces can arrive disguised as mundane trends (17:59-18:29).
• 11 Minutes Ago (2007) (19:01): A man can only go back exactly 11 minutes into the past (19:11-19:16). This small power devastatingly fractures his sense of continuity, leading to isolation and the realization that even minimal control over time can rob one of the ability to truly live in the present (19:30-20:31).
• The Sticky Fingers of Time (1997) (20:44): This surreal film is less about logical time travel and more about time as a sensation or metaphor (21:07-21:12). It explores looping events, blurring relationships, and softening identities, suggesting that the past is inescapable even when not fully remembered (21:44-22:01).
• The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006) (22:28): A teenager discovers she can jump backward through time, initially using it for small fixes (22:33-22:45). However, the film reveals that time doesn't reset emotionally, and each jump leaves ripples, leading to regret, emotional detachment, and the understanding that some moments matter because they cannot be repeated (22:58-23:59).
• Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes (2020) (24:21): Characters discover a TV showing their future exactly two minutes ahead (24:32-24:38). This tiny time window creates a conceptual minefield where free will seems to vanish, as every decision instantly becomes permanent because the future they just saw now has to happen (24:47-25:33).
The video concludes by stating that these films serve as warnings, stripping away certainty, identity, and control, and highlighting the dangers of trying to optimize or fix mistakes through time travel (25:56-26:17). They are powerful because they took risks and embraced discomfort rather than offering neat explanations (26:24-26:34).
20 Time Travel Movies https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2026/01/20-time-travel-movies.html?m=1
What are your favorite Dystopian Movies? https://tueseahkiong.blogspot.com/2025/10/dystopian-movies.html?m=1
Saturday, January 10, 2026
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