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Abstract:

In this paper, I will primarily explore the Shi’a community of a small village who, drawing from mythology, shape their identity and establish a contrast with the Sunni community, the majority in the neighbouring areas. While the community employs various practices and customs, including rituals, to underscore these distinctions, I will particularly delve into the significance of shrines as tangible symbols and the practices of shrine veneration. This will illustrate how the community utilizes the mythology surrounding the shrine to delineate boundaries and accentuate their religious identity.

A shrine typically embodies the presence of a revered saint-patron who holds a central place in the indigenous beliefs and cosmology of the community. However, such folk religious practices are often not officially recognized within the doctrinal framework of the faith community. Each small community may designate a sacred space associated with a specific saint, which becomes a focal point of reverence steeped in myth and folklore. In some instances, the shrine is believed to enshrine the tomb of such a saint, whether they were a historical figure or a mythical one. What remains significant is the shared belief in the saint, the legend, or the myth, fostering a sense of belonging among practitioners. As the shrines embody religion, they naturally accentuate religious identity, the primary distinction between the Shi’a village community and the Sunni majority nearby.

I posit that the knowledge linked to the shrine constitutes a collective belief that delineates this distinction and solidifies the contrast. This shared knowledge is then externalized and sustained through ritual practices. To demonstrate how this knowledge is communicated, nurtured, and perpetuated, I will analyze the data within the theoretical frameworks outlined by Assmann (1999) and Halbwachs (2011) on collective memory. Additionally, I will utilize the concept of the "imagined community" to illustrate how the local community utilizes belief in the enigmatic saint-patron to construct their local identity.