Islamic Empires Have Been Fighting For Decades

    Did you know two groups of the same religion have been fighting for over 1,400 years? The two groups are known as Sunni Muslims and Shia Muslims. They are fighting over a dispute over succession to Muhammad as a caliph of the Islamic community which spread across various parts of the world. The groups have different the succession of power after Muhammad died, and disagreements about marriage briefs on leadership, but are they so different? The groups are very different, because of

    Islam’s massive growth in size can be credited to the constant battles and war with surrounding areas. The Muslims were determined to share

Iraq and Iran have been subjected to a civil war since the seventh century (Murphy 1). This existing problem began because of political and theological divergence, but with the help of outside forces such as Britain, Russia, and North America, it developed into a more complex crisis.

“Muslim forces took control” (Document A: Battle of the Yarmuk, first sentence.)Document A is a historical document that shows how the Islamic Empire expanded. The early Islamic Empire expanded in many different ways but one is due to the Muslims winning the Battle of the Yarmuk.

These muslim empires prodigiously invested in their militaries in order to be one step ahead of their rivals (document 2). The Safavids, for example, were able to form a very capable military with their advanced weapons and skills training which not only enabled them to be on the same level with their regional rivals, but to be with on-par with the Europeans as well (document 1). These empires not only supported their militaries with weapons and skills but with land grants as well which helped improve their army’s morale (document 5).

Osman Bey: The founder of the dynasty that continued in unbroken succession until the dissolution of the empire. He was chief of a band of semi-nomadic Turks who migrated to northwestern Anatolia.

The reason why the Safavids and Ottomans were neither allies nor trading partners, was the difference in the sect of Islam each Empire worshiped. The Ottomans worshiped Sunni Islam while the Safavids worshiped Shi’a Islam. The main difference between Sunni Islam and Shi’a Islam is who each group thought should lead the Muslim community after the death of their prophet, Muhammad. Sunnis believe that Muhammad chose Abu Bakr to proceed him and Shias believe that Muhammad chose Ali to lead after him. Abu Bakr was Muhammad's father-in-law and companion who was the first person to become Muslim outside of Muhammad’s blood relatives. Ali was Muhammad’s cousin and son-in-law. This dispute over who should rule divided the two groups and made them enemies. Since the Safavids main religion was Shi’a Islam and the Ottomans was Sunni, there was a “guaranteed conflict” between them. Although this is not necessarily true, in reality the religious difference does lead to conflict. In 1501, when Shah Isma’il was coronated, generations of brutal warfare started between the two Empires. This warfare started for multiple reasons, but the biggest reason is because of religion. The Safavids, being Shi’a Muslims, did not tolerate any other religions, or different sects of religions, especially not Sunni Muslims. This obviously caused the Safavids to form a hatred for the Ottomans. The Ottomans believed that the Safavids “represented a negation of the religious and political foundations” of their Empire, which therefore meant that the Safavids needed to be exterminated. As a result of this thinking, a state of constant warfare ignited between the two

The unity generated by the Islamic faith allowed for the cooperation of differing tribes and people groups to conquer Arabia, Persia, and beyond (Traditions and Encounters pg203-203). Under the centralized Abbasid Empire,

In the current news, the tensions between the Islamic and Christian faith are a recurring topic that sparks conversations between many people. The history behind this religious conflict goes back into the early 7th and 8th centuries during the times of the Byzantine and Western European Empires. Although the conflicts between the two religions may have not been profound in the past, they were solidified due to the Crusades. Lasting from 1096 to 1204 CE, the Crusades are a prominent event in history and they had a significant impact on both the Byzantine and Western European Empires. These four expeditions involved the long distance travel from Europe to the Middle East, the loss of many innocent lives and the destruction of cities and important

In early modern times, the three Islamic empires sought for ways to improve standard of living for cultural families. People from all sorts of backgrounds makes it very difficult for Islam to become one due to their differences. Despite the challenge, the expansion of religion and trade produced harmony within a matter of time. Religion and trade are effective ways for Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal rulers to establish harmony of all ethnic and religious communities.

Meanwhile, in Persia, there was a bout after the Mongol Holocaust when Sunni Turks took over in the fifteenth century and the belief of the Safavids was tested. But, Ismail, an heir to the

Disagreement between Shias and Sunni have been the most important splits in Islamic religion, which are ongoing problems since the 7th century to present-day, conflict in Islamic history has initiated blood spills from generations to generations and is still taking life’s while differences in social and equal opportunities that have taken deep roots in the minds of future leaders.

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.

Since many religions have started in the Middle East, it has become the center for erupting conflicts. For instance, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict has been in the news for many reasons. Both groups want control of the God given land that they both claim is theirs, according to God, and what had happened in the past. The result of the conflict is religious terrorism (PBS, 1). Continuing, some Middle Eastern politics have been in conflict, even dividing communities of the

Islam has developed its Just war theory from its early development in the time of prophet Mohammad himself, Islam began the process of political rule, exercise of power and even the exertion of political will and exercise of force and the formation of a highly effective governance and expansion. Islam the concepts of war, battle, and conduct of war, among other things are not some accretion that has to be theologically justified after well over 300 years of life of the faith, but rather they are central to the formation of Islamic theology, jurisprudence, and ethics because they happen during the life of the prophet and during the process of revelations (Amjad &Charles,240). Early sources of Muhammad and caliphates in political and social contexts become weakness in today’s context that they