It appears the internets ate my reply! :( Oh well. I can make it better!
I'm no expert on Central Asians (nor did I ever claim to be - if I did, I apologize if I came off that way)
I don't think you came off that way at all (and I hope I don't either -- I am not Central Asian or even Muslim myself, though I know folks who are both). It's unrealistic for anyone to know all of the details of every aspect of their cultural background, let alone someone else's. Islam is very diverse!
I was honestly thinking more for Sunni
Actually Hanafi is part of Sunni -- it's one of the four main madhhabs, schools of law, within Sunni Islam. Those schools have gotten along pretty harminiously so it's not like a big split, the way Sunni/Shia is. It is the prevailing school within Turkey, the Caucasus and Balkans, and Central and South Asia, which technically means it covers more Muslims than any other school. The schools mostly differ about their interpretations of the law, but I doubt most masjids make a point of wearing their particular madhhab affiliation on their sleeve or discuss it much. Here's a map of how they're distributed: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Madhhab_Map2.png
I should also note that it's not a contemporary point of Hanafi thought that alcohol is okay, but it originally was, and between that and the preexisting importance of stuff like kumyz, Central Asian cultures haven't been quick to get rid of it (except some groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan). It's sometimes popular to blame the Soviets for alcohol's prevalence there, but that's inaccurate. A few years ago the Grand Mufti of Kyrgyzstan took a stand against alcohol, but it didn't really amount to anything.
You can edit in whatever you want or just leave it here. :)
no subject
I'm no expert on Central Asians (nor did I ever claim to be - if I did, I apologize if I came off that way)
I don't think you came off that way at all (and I hope I don't either -- I am not Central Asian or even Muslim myself, though I know folks who are both). It's unrealistic for anyone to know all of the details of every aspect of their cultural background, let alone someone else's. Islam is very diverse!
I was honestly thinking more for Sunni
Actually Hanafi is part of Sunni -- it's one of the four main madhhabs, schools of law, within Sunni Islam. Those schools have gotten along pretty harminiously so it's not like a big split, the way Sunni/Shia is. It is the prevailing school within Turkey, the Caucasus and Balkans, and Central and South Asia, which technically means it covers more Muslims than any other school. The schools mostly differ about their interpretations of the law, but I doubt most masjids make a point of wearing their particular madhhab affiliation on their sleeve or discuss it much. Here's a map of how they're distributed: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8d/Madhhab_Map2.png
I should also note that it's not a contemporary point of Hanafi thought that alcohol is okay, but it originally was, and between that and the preexisting importance of stuff like kumyz, Central Asian cultures haven't been quick to get rid of it (except some groups in Afghanistan and Pakistan). It's sometimes popular to blame the Soviets for alcohol's prevalence there, but that's inaccurate. A few years ago the Grand Mufti of Kyrgyzstan took a stand against alcohol, but it didn't really amount to anything.
You can edit in whatever you want or just leave it here. :)