V. Conclusion

In this brief survey, I have shown that the event of Ghadir Khum is a historical fact which cannot be rejected, and that in studying Shi'ism, the precommitment to the Judeo-Christian tradition of the orientalists was compounded with the Sunni bias against Shi'ism. Consequently, the event of Ghadir Khum 

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21 For full references, see Al-Amini, AI-Ghadir, Vol 1, Tehran: Mu'assatul Muwahhidi, 1976, pp 166-186. 

was ignored by most western scholars and emerged from oblivion only to be handled with scepticism and reinterpretation.

I hope this one example will convince at least some western scholars to reexamine their methodology in studying Shi`ism, and instead of approaching it largely through the works of heresiographers like Ash-Sharistani, Ibn Hazm, Al-Macirizi and Al-Baghdadi who present the Shi`as as a heretical sect of Islam, they should turn to more objective works of both the Shi`as as well as the Sunnis.

The Shi`as are tired, and rightfully so, of being portrayed as a heretical sect that emerged because of the political and economic circumstances of the early Islamic period. They demand to represent themselves instead of being represented by their adversaries.