Sunni And Shiite 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

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.

To start off, even though Sunni and Shia Muslims share the same religion, they disagree who should lead after Muhammad death. Sunni Muslims take up 85 to 90 percent of Muslims. Sunni Muslims believe Muhammad did not clearly

emphasis on the guiding role of the imam. About 90% of the world's Muslims are Sunni and

Ali shared the same blood as Muhammad. In their opinion, this made Ali holy. Shi’ites saw caliphs more as spiritual and temporal leaders rather than rulers. Each side had its rational notions, but since more people followed Bakr, he was appointed the next caliph. Shi’ite remained under his guidance, but felt it was an abomination.

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)

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:

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.

The Shi'a saw the initial decision of electing Abu Bakr to power instead of Ali as an error that had "mired their faith in violence and confusion" (Nasr 37) and they believed spirituality to be found only in the bloodline of Muhammad. Although the Sunni's do not consider the Shi'a true Muslims, it seems more likely that the conflict is more political now than religious, and the Shi'a, with their devotion to a different kind of Islam, threaten those in power because they call into question the religious and political authority of the Sunni Muslim leaders by implying that they are not the rightful leaders of the Islamic

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

Historians, specifically American historians of the 21st century have demonstrated an interest in the Middle East in Islam, due to Americans frequent contact with the Middle East in the early 1960s. Islam and the Middle East have played a remarkable role in Americans discussion and reaction to the events that took place on September 11th, 2001. During this time Americans were beginning to regard the Middle East, Muslims, and Islam as one entity. Americans and the world regarded the Middle East as Islam and Islam as the Middle East. Thus, this correlation between the two made Muslims say Muslim Americans and Muslims in America as less western and more of another, but they were also seen as untrustworthy individuals. Additionally, prior to the September 11th, attacks and an after effect of September 11, was that Muslim men were violent and Muslim women as oppressed individuals. Thus, the perception of Islamophobia and the threat it brings to western society has impacted the discussion of Islamophobia in America.

Another source of conflict as reported by Sørli et. al stems from the religious differences. As a whole, the Middle East is comprised of followers of Islam. But within the Islamic religion are the Sunni (which account for the majority), and the Shia. Tension lies between the two sects, especially given the fact that the Shia often hold the positions of power (Sørli, 147). Another major

Islam is one of the biggest religions known within the world today. It is considered to be a monotheistic religion, that has two main sections known as Shia Islam and Sunni Islam. Islam is believed to have started in Arabia where Abraham, a key prophet, built the Ka’ba in Mecca, which is religious place for pilgrimage and worship still to this day (Silverstein, 9). Sunni Islam makes up the religions majority and concentrates on the idea that preserves the structures of society within their community which will fulfill their God-given responsibilities (Dowley, pg. 397-400). The Sunni and Shia sections are divided due to arguments after Muhammad died. The Sunnis believed that Muhammad’s successor should be Abu Bakr, Muhammad’s father-in-law (Tasch, Business Insider). The Shia Muslims believed Muhammad’s successor should have been Ali ibn Abi Talib, who was Muhammad’s cousin (Tasch, Business Insider). This created an extreme divide within the religious movement but the Sunnis won over the majority, and still to this day hold the majority of followers within the religion.

were chosen by God to set up a state of Israel where they could not be