The Sunni Shia Conflict Essay

A change that occurred in the political life of Islamic civilization was the shift from the election of a Caliphate to a more dynastical system. Previously, the caliphates were elected by the Islamic community. Capable leaders were preferred over heirs who were not as qualified. Sunni Muslims were firm believers of this concept, while Shia muslims believed that Ali should’ve

Throughout American history wars have played a huge part. From the start of the country to the present wars have played a lagrge part in shaping America into the national power that it is today. Not only is America the most pwerful nation in thwe world but it is also the policeman for the entire world, making and checking up on the world and all the interactions of foreign countries worldwide. Being born in born in the early eighties prohibitied me from experiencing many of the Americas war firsthand. This however changed early in the 1990's.

One of the most famous religious splits in human history is the well known Sunni-Shia split. The Sunni-Shia split is highly divisive throughout the world, and predominantly in the Middle East. These sects share similarities, such as they all believe that Allah is the one true god, and Muhammad is his messenger. They also believe in the same five religious pillars that Muslims follow. Although these sects are very similar, there is one big schismatic difference that separates the two. This difference lies with the question of: “Who is the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad?” Through this 1,400 year conflict Most sunnis believe that Abu Bakr the Prophet 's closest companion is the true successor. In contrast most Shias believe that Ali, who was the prophet 's cousin and son in law is the true successor. Abu bakr was the rightful heir to lead Muslims after the Prophet’s death. Abu Bakr was arguably his closest confidant throughout their lives, and Abu Bakr understood the Messenger teachings the best. It can also be argued that that Ali would be the fourth caliph instead of the first because choosing a successor to the Prophet based on bloodline could be seen as committing idolatry according to Islamic teaching.

The Shia Muslims believe that following the Prophet Muhammad's death, leadership should have passed directly to his cousin/son-in-law, Ali. Throughout history, Shia Muslims have not recognized the authority of elected Muslim leaders, choosing instead to follow a line of Imams which they believe have been appointed by the Prophet Muhammad or God Himself. The word "Shia" in Arabic means a group or supportive party of people. The commonly-known term is shortened from the historical "Shia-t-Ali," or "the Party of Ali." They are also known as followers of "Ahl-al-Bayt" or "People of the Household". The historical background of the differences of the two different Muslim faiths is important to recognize due to the significance of its effect on Afghan culture and lifestyle.

Syria’s civil war is the worst humanitarian crisis of modern time. The “Syrian Civil war Began in March of 2011, between rebel brigades and government force; economy and infrastructure is destroyed” (Library, 2016). “Divisions between secular and religious fighters, and between ethnic groups, continue to complicate the politics of the conflict” (Corps, 2016). Additionally, the Syrian civil war has taken a significant

division between Shia (followers of Ali) and Sunni (followers of the custom of the caliphate)

Losing a leader can be very chaotic when they retire or pass on. Questions occur about the next leader, arguments begin, and relationships divide. Islam is a prime example of these events when the founder of the religion, Muhammad, passed on and left the Muslims without a leader. Thus started the separation of Islam into the factions the Shiites and Sunnis because of a disagreement of who will succeed Muhammad as his predecessor.

Shiite Muslims heavily supported Abbassid Revolution. The continued discontent with the Umayyad allowed Abu Muslim, a mawli from Khorason, to raise the black banner in rebellion, just as prophet Muhammad did against the Meccans. The Shiites joined the Abu Muslim because they were told that one of Prophet’s Muhammad’s relative would replace the Ummayyds. The Shiites were hoping for Hussayn’s son; However, the Abbasid revolution brought a descendant of Muhammad’s uncle Abbas. The Abbassid Revolution shows the tremendous power a sectarian identity used to overthrow a

In the year 632, the Islamic faith split into two sects (branches) that would never re-unite. The of the branches are called Shia , and the other Sunni. Shia muslims thought that after the prophet Muhammad died, someone from his family should be the next leader of Islam. They favored Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law. Sunni muslims believe that the role should fall to the person who was deemed by the elite of the community to be best able to lead. And it was that political decision that began the Sunni-Shia split. The Sunnis succeeded and chose their successor to be the first caliph. Ali was to be the fourth caliph until conflict broke out and the two before him were killed, leading to civil war. This conflict eventually subsided and the two branches lived peacefully for centuries until years ago when a terrorist group reignited the dead war.

There are so many people in the world that don't know about the Sunni and Shia split. Even worse, they don't know who or what the Sunnis and Shiites are. The Sunnis and Shiites are the two main branches of the Islamic religion with eighty-three percent being Sunnis and sixteen percent being Shiites (Hanif). Both groups, which consist of Muslims, believe that Allah chose Muhammad as a prophet of the Islamic religion (Hanif). But both groups started having their differences and eventually split when Muhammad died in 632 A.D.(Hanif). The Sunnis believed that Abu Bakr should be their first Caliph because he was a close companion of Muhammad as well as Muhammad's father-in-law (Hanif). Meanwhile, the Shiites believed that Ali should be their first

However, the cause of the schism between the two denominations of Islam can be traced back to its origin. After the death of the Prophet Mohammad, a great deliberation ascended over the right to succession. The Islamic empire nominated for three caliphs all in some way related to the Prophet. A young caliphate called Ali was the son in law of Prophet Mohammad and was the preferred successor of the prophet by many Muslims now recognised as Shiites. However, this notion was completely rejected by the Sunni group who acknowledged that Abu Bakr (second caliphate of the prophet Mohammad) should succeed. This dispute was further escalated with the assassination of Ali, his sons Hassan and Hussein subsequently triggering the Shi’a and Sunni split. Whilst the cause of the split resulted from the argument of who would succeed the Prophet, “the split might never have happened if Mohammad had a son, as the son would’ve automatically have inherited his father’s authority” said Lesley Hazleton writer of “The First Muslim: The Story of Mohammad”. Consequently, the difference in historical experiences, beliefs, and ethnic composition between these two factions of Islam has caused the escalation of sectarian violence that continues to progress in contemporary Middle

The differences between Shia and Sunni’s took place after the death of Prophet Muhammad. “There are 1.6 billion Muslims across the world. Roughly 85%-90% of them are Sunnis”. (Ward) Sunni’s decided that the person/leader to guide the Islamic

A religion that will employ great influence in a civilization of more than one and a half billion people. The Prophets death also had the opportunity to split the religion into two main branches the Sunni and Shi’a. The Sunni who are 80 percent of Muslims, and they believed that, Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law, to the successor. As for the Shi’a who only make up 15 percent of the Muslims in the world, believed an imam, in their case Ali, cousin, and son-in-law, should be the successor; due to their blood relations. However, with their differences aside, they shared the common belief that Prophet Muhammad was a messenger of Allah. Both the Sunni and Shi’a also share the belief that there are five pillars of Islam: (1) the harmony of Allah and the prophethood of Muhammad, (2) the five obligatory prayers, (3) fasting, (4) charity, and (5) the pilgrimage to Mecca. Both branches oppose several kinds social change that is done by western ideas, and instead have the primary objective of the establishment of Islamic law as the sole basis of their government. The question still is who should have been the rightful successor of the Prophet Muhammad. Someone who is in blood relations or someone who was a close

The Safavids were the first the first to declare Shia Islam the official religion of Iran, and their interest in Iraq lay in the Shia holy places in central Iraq, and also the fact that Baghdad held significant symbolic value as the seat of the ancient Abbasid Empire. The Ottoman Empire on the other hand was afraid that Shia Islam would spread to Asia Minor, and thus looked to control Iraq as a Sunni-dominated buffer state. During the Ottoman period, the Sunnis were placed in political positions, while the Shias were then shut out of the political process. This divide between the Sunnis and the Shias continued to be more and more of an important element in the Iraqi social structure, and remains an issue even today. It was also during this time period that the Kurdish Baban Dynasty emerged and began to organize resistance to the Ottoman rule in Northern Iraq.

Islam is divided into two branches called the Shi’ite and the Sunni. The Sunni make up the majority of muslims today. The Shi’ite Muslims believe that Ali (Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law) was the rightful successor to Muhammad, and that leadership of the community should remain in the family line of the prophet. Sufism is a form of Islamic mysticism. Sufis place emphasis on the inward experience of God, and on individual acts of spiritual discipline. (Basic facts about)