Sunni And Shia Groups Of Islam: A Case Study

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

Throughout the novel “Animal Farm” by George Orwell, Napoleon gained, managed and maintained his power over the animals of the farm. Napoleon gained power over the animals by using force, propaganda, manipulating the animals and sending his opposition into exile. His style of leadership involved using the media to support his decisions, enforcing a variety of new laws and using fear to keep himself in a position of superiority over the other animals. By changing events to his advantage and implementing strategies to signify his importance, Napoleon manages to maintain his power.

The IRB members consist of a variety of people who are apart of the community who are able to review research. The members vary in what they majored in and also their background in research. All of the members of the review board have impressive resumes and it is preferred for them to have tenure. The members of the IRB seem to be chosen by their credibility in their field of study. Foe example, Dr. Sophia Dziegielewski, the IRB Chair, has her MSW and Ph. D. in social work. Dr. Dziegielewski has an overwhelming and impressive resume, filled with multiple awards, over a hundred publications and numerous grants for her research. As the IRB Chair, this makes Dr. Dziegielewski qualified for the position and understands the methods of research.

Over the centuries two Islamic Empires have been fighting for decades. “”The Ottoman ruler, Selim I sent a letter to the Persian rival, Isma’il I, leader of the Shi’ite Safavid state.””(Sunni versus Shi’ite) “” Isma’il had entered Ottoman territory and had demanded that Ottoman subjects accept Shi’ism.””(Sunni versus Shi’ite) In response to this Selim I threatens him with this letter. One thing lead to the other and eventually Isma’il I and Selim I had a war. “”Selim I won the battle of Chaldiran in 1514 and protected his territory from Shi’ite encroachment. “” (Sunni versus Shi’ite) Selim I quoted from the Quran saying that the land shouldn’t be played with it was given to them to their god the lord, by the same god that rules over Isma’il and his people the Shi’ites of the Safavid Empire. During this time the Ottoman Empire was pretty strong military and financially wise. The Ottoman Empire was better equipped for war, since out of the two groups they lasted the longest, since “”the Safavids were replaced by a regional dynasty, the Qajar’s and disintegrated due to pressure of tribal invasions.”” (Pamuk, 2004)

    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

The Shia separated from the rest with belief that the Prophet had called upon his son-in-law/cousin, Ali

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.

From this initial split other divisions and changes occurred within the religious practices and laws of Islam. While both share a belief in the Qur’an and the sunna (sayings or actions) of the Prophet Muhammad there are religious and legal differences. Imams are by the Shia definition the divinely guided ones but the Sunni defines Imaans as saints (Diffen n.d.). The Shia declared Ali and his descendants Imams with a special connection to the will of God with religious and legal authorities. The number of Imams and who were truly the divinely guided Imams would split Shias. There arose many branches but it came down to three main ones the Twelvers, the Seveners, and Zayids (Goldschmidt Jr. 2013). The Imams were mystical beings and the Twelvers believe that the 12th Imam disappeared and will one day return to set thing right for Muslims. Within the Sunni sect there are four branches of Islamic Law:

Throughout the twentieth century Iran, like many other countries in the world, would enter a period of change that would completely alter the political, social and economic structure of the country. Perhaps the most important result of this restructuring was the incorporation of Shia Islam from solely the religious sphere to both the religious and political sphere. Analysis of history shows that for centuries Shia Islam had maintained its existence by functioning as a religious arm of the monarchy. The establishment of the Safavid Dynasty in 1501 resulted in Shia Islam become the official religion of Persian Empire and it was drawn upon by rulers in the following centuries as a source of imperial power. The collapse of the Safavid Empire in

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.

By definition, Islam is a religion of those who obey the doctrines of the Prophet Muhammad. Muhammad, who in the 7th century lived in Arabia, initiated a religious movement that throughout the Middle East was supported by the Arabs. Today, not only in Middle East origins, Islam has adherents, where it is the dominant religion in all countries (Non-Arab, and Arab), but also in other parts of Africa, Asia and, of course, as well as in the United States. Those who are loyal to Islam are called Muslims. The Sunni, Shiite conflict in Iraq started long before the ruling of Saddam Hussein, but when Hussein became Prime Minister of the country the conflict between the two religious sects was taken to a new level. Right when Hussein gained full power, under his control, began years of persecution of the Shiite Muslims in the country. But, before this happened, the conflict was based upon Muhammad and who was to rule after he had died. When Muhammad had died there were many disputes on who should succeed the Prophet Muhammad after his death in 632. Shiites believed that the prophet’s son-in-law, Ali, was to be the successor. Both consider the Koran the word of God. But, devoutness and religious practice distinguish between the two sects. However, Islam teaches that all Islam is equal so Sunni and Shiite sects fight with each other not only because of “hatred” but, also because of religious

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.

The current US policy is, marijuana is an illegal substance to grow, posses, and sell. For the first time in the United States history, a majority of Americans favor legalizing marijuana. Opponents of legalization argue that making marijuana use legal will lead to an increase in drug related societal problems.

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.

Sunni and Shia are part of the 1.6 billion followers of Muslims across the world. After all, Shia are a minority group that have been recently attacked by Sunnis. Shias are being targeted and killed for their beliefs. Yet, Sunni and Shia have many similar beliefs and customs, but their main difference is based on who should be the political figure. When the Sunni and Shia chose different political figures, they also came upon different ideology. Soon as the prophet Muhammad died in the seventh century, he did not designate a political ruler after his death. Thus, the country was left without an appointed figure leaving the Muslim community without a caliphate. Consequently, the people had to decide who was going to be appointed as the leader of the Muslim community. The Sunni believed that Abu Bakr should be the leader and was given the popularity of the vote, but Shia believed that the family of the prophet should be the leader. “Shia argued that only Ali was qualified to uphold the spiritual values that underpinned the whole future direction of Islam.” (Rogerson 5) The disagreement of who should be leader grew to the establishment of Shia, who supported Ali. Shia believed that Ali should have been the first caliph instead of Abu Bakr being the first. Shia came to the conclusion that Sunni falsified hadith and Abu angered Fatima, in which Fatima was part of Muhammad causing Shia to believe that he does not have right to become first caliph. As a result, that left Sunni