*Please see the article Karaite. I have never heard any serious person dispute the fact that Karaism is a sect of Judaism. Karaites themselves refer to their religion as true Judaism and regard rabbinic Jews as having been led astray. To say that Karaism is a form of Jewish observance is not POV. As to the genetic descent of the Eastern European Karaites from Jewish ancestors as opposed to various Turkic groups, the controversy is discussed in this article and has no bearing on whether Karaism is or is not a Jewish sect.  28 June 2005 16:33 (UTC)