Though the two main sects within islam, sunni and shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 centuries. Subsequently, those muslims who put their faith in abu bakr came to be called sunni those who follow the sunna, the sayings, deeds and traditions of the prophet muhammad and those who trusted in ali came to be known as shia a contraction of shiat ali, meaning partisans of ali. Muslims are split into two main branches, the sunnis and shias. Jul 31, 2019 though the two main sects within islam, sunni and shia, agree on most of the fundamental beliefs and practices of islam, a bitter split between the two goes back some 14 centuries. History ali is the central figure at the origin of the shia sunni split which occurred in the decades immediately following the death of the prophet in 632. They are the majority in afghanistan, saudi arabia, egypt, yemen, pakistan, indonesia, turkey, algeria, morocco, and tunisia. Sunni and shia islam whats the origin of the split.
A history of the shiitesunni split the division of islam into sunni and shiite branches goes far back in muslim history to the aftermath. Religious leaders and the sunni shia divide in the. Sunnishia split today at least 87% of muslims are sunnis. Dec 03, 2008 why did the muslims split into shia and sunni. Arabs descend from the ottoman empire, which existed from the 15th through the 20th century. Explain the origin of the division between sunni and shia muslims. For shias, the month also is a time to mourn the events that sparked the centuriesold schism between shia and sunni muslims. Sunnis and shiites shippensburg university of pennsylvania. Iran, on the other hand, descends from the 16th century persian empire. But what id like to suggest here, first, is that your question is not quite right. The split between the two main sects within islam goes back some 1,400 years. After the prophets death in 632 ce, different views emerged about who should succeed him as. The historic sunnishiite split originally led to the emergence of three. The major split in islam is that between the majority sunnis and the minority shiites.
Back in 2007, npr reported on the shiitesunni split that was. Sunni islam is the doctrine of power and achievement. The number of shia muslims is projected to be between 219 million and 285 million in 2030. This demographic dominance has not, however, been translated into economic and political power. Violence and conflicts across the shiasunni divide have increased during the last. Until recently shia sunni relations have been cordial, and a majority of people of both sects participated in the creation the state of pakistan in the 1940s. Sunnishia distribution map write one generalization about the information the map is providing. The successor of the messenger of allah and his first caliph. Pakistan has a history of shiasunni bloodshed dating back to the 1980s. Sep 16, 2014 the history of the sunni and shia split. There was no warning from amazon that the ad was pushing a 20 page pamphlet that aims at a child in grade three in its scope and detail. In reality these forms of islamism are not even the same type of movement. Be able to relate the shi asunni split with issue in the contemporary middle east. While there was hardly any overlap between sunni, shia, and kurdish constituencies in 2014, the three were internally fragmented, with the shia vote dominated by three lists, and the sunni vote split mostly among four lists, in addition to smaller lists across the spectrum.
Looking at the icon of the book, i expected nothing less. It grew into an umbrella organization for islamist groups in syria, sudan, jordan, kuwait, yemen, libya, and iraq. Dec 16, 2017 on facial similarity the sunni shiite split in islam is comparable to the protestantcatholic split in christianity to the extent that there was one religion and after a theological disagreement, there were two religions. Almost 80% of pakistans muslim population is sunni, with 20% being shia, but this shia minority forms the second largest shia population of any country, larger than the shia majority in iraq. Soninlaw to muhammad, according to the sunnis was the fourth caliph, but according to the shia is.
Being played out through proxy wars saudi arabia sunni is bombing the houthi rebels in yemen shia who are being supported by iran. Tensions between sunnis and shias, exploited by regional rivals. In recent years, sunnishia relations have been increasingly marked by conflict. Perplexing and deadly international intercultural conflict 15 capabilities. It is widely argued that the sunnishia divide has become the main rift in todays middle east. I have already composed some responses to questions around the issue of succession to the prophet muhammad s, and will share links at the end of this piece. Feb 12, 2007 the origins of the shiite sunni split. A history of the shiitesunni split the division of islam into sunni and shiite branches goes far back in muslim history to the aftermath of the death of the prophet muhammad. The pakistani shia community representing 15 to 20 % of the population, i. What caused the split between the sunnis and shiites.
Sunni and shia differences have their origin in a dispute about who should lead after the death of the prophet muhammad. Sunni life is guided by four schools of legal thought, each of which strives to develop practical applications of the sunnah. There was no warning from amazon that the ad was pushing a 20 page pamphlet that aims at a. Thats precisely what the endless harping on the sunnishia split suggests, however. The split between the two main branches of islam is nearly 1,400 years old, and started with a fight over. Jan 04, 2016 news world middle east sunni and shia muslims. Shia and sunni islam are the two major denominations of islam. Islams sunnishiite split by dan murphy to the outsider, the differences between the sunni and shiite islamic sects are hard to recognize. A history of the shiitesunni split mike shuster i the division of islam into sunni and shiite branches goes far back in muslim history to the aftermath of the death of the prophet muhammad. From the price i expected a 200 to 300 page history of the sunni shia split from the death of hussein to present day. As with any division that lasts over a thousand years, the sunnishia split led to each denomination developing its own unique cultures, doctrines and schools of thought. Why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east.
The only other sect which were helped along inadvertently by the petro dollars of the west are the wahabisalafis, once a fringe extremist ideology is. Sunnishia split the mideasts new great divide the star. What is the real first cause of the sunni and shia splitting. Understanding the culture, history, and language of the arab world will help give the west insight into this mysterious culture, and hopefully improve its approach in interacting with arab nations. This week sunni and shia muslims ushered in the islamic new year and the beginning of the holy month of muharram. On facial similarity the sunnishiite split in islam is comparable to the protestantcatholic split in christianity to the extent that there was one religion and after a theological disagreement, there were two religions. Sunnis are the majority sect in the muslim world, but shias today form as much as 60% of iraqs population, whereas sunnis make up 37%, split between ethnic arabs and kurds. They believed that the successors to muhammad must be chosen by the muslim community. All muslims are guided by the sunnah, but sunnis stress its primacy. May 07, 2017 why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east policy and why it shouldnt. The book does an excellent job of going into the history of both groups and exactly what led to the split. Understanding the divisions within islam charles river editors on.
Comments off on uncommon sense with wong chin huat. Shia islam holds that ali ibn abi talib was the appointed successor to the islamic prophet muhammad as head. The sunnishia split and the answer to muslim unity print this post. But there are significant shiite communities in saudi arabia and syria, afghanistan, pakistan and india as well. Is the sunnishia split in islam comparable in any way to the. In reality these forms of islamism are not even the same. Pdf radicalization of the sunnishia divide researchgate. Bbc news middle east long path to iraqs sectarian split. The origins of the sunnishia split in islam by hussein abdulwaheed amin, editor of introduction the shia shahadah declaration of faith states. Apr 26, 2006 just like catholic and protestant, they believe in jesus, but have problem with the saints and virgin mary, like same way sunnies and shite believe in muhammad but have some issues after the death of muhammad pub, shite follows ali. A primer to the sunnishia conflict universiteit leiden. Two distinct forms of sunni islamismexist inthearabmiddleeast,eachwitha separate history and world view.
Parallels the division between islams shiite minority and the sunni majority is deepening across the middle east. The split between the two main branches of islam is nearly 1,400 years old, and started with a fight over who should lead the faithful after the prophet muhammads death in 632. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. There is no god but allah, muhammad is the messenger of allah, ali is the friend of allah. Instead, sunni arabs have traditionally formed iraqs elite.
The sunnishia split is complicated by the nationalistic schism between middle east countries. Part of the strain certainly goes back to the violence and betrayal associated with the seventh century split. Sunni led and iran shia were embroiled in a war for most of. After the death of prophet muhammad sallalahu alaihi wassalam, muslims came under the rule of a caliphate system and stayed united under the initial four caliphs for a period of about 30 years. The division between islams shiite minority and the sunni majority is. Sectarian conflict is becoming entrenched in a growing number of muslim countries and is threatening to fracture iraq and syria. Husayn with a small party was killed at karbala in 680. An example of an early shiasunni fitna shootout occurred in kurram, one of the tribal agencies of the northwest pakistan, where the pushtun population was split between sunnis and shia.
The schism that led muslims to split into two main denominations, sunni and shia, dates from the 7th century it is almost as old as the religion itself. Sunni shia split and conflict islamic history events. Soninlaw to muhammad, according to the sunni s was the fourth caliph, but according to the shia is the first caliph. Look at each document and complete the analysis questions below. Time period 656 to 661 ce conflict type religious underlying causes resentments began to build over how the booty from the conquests should be divided among the tribal groups that made up the islamic community which came from sudden successes of muslim armies and the sudden rise of the arab empire. For instance shiites can condense the five daily prayers into 3 or 4 yet sunnis dont, shiites might pay their alms. In recent years in iraq, saddam hussein led a sunni government that actually oppressed the shia majority. Understanding politics and terrorism in the arab middle east by samuel helfont. Jan 19, 2018 christians have their protestants and catholics, jews their orthodox and reform.
What was the ultimate issue that caused the split between sunni and shia. The worlds muslims fall into two major camps, sunni and shia, sometimes likened to christianitys catholics and protestants. Gps standard ss7gs8 the student will describe the diverse cultures of the people who live in southwest asia middle east. In september 1996 more than 200 people were killed when a gun battle between teenage shia and sunni escalated into a communal war that lasted five days. You may wonder about the differences between the two groups and why they hold animosity toward one another. The other is a modern political ideologywith roots in the cosmopolitan cities of 20th century egypt. The reason behide the split between the sunnis and shiites was when prophet muhammad passed away. Sunni shia distribution map write one generalization about the information the map is providing. Pdf the war in iraq has produced a tremendous change in the middle east and. More importantly, this brought about a schism in islam that split it into two.
The sunnishia split and the answer to muslim unity. In terms of the worlds total muslim population, sunnis and shias disagree over what percentage each group owns, with sunnis accounting for 8090% of the total and shias 1020%. Mar 18, 2020 the sunnishia split is complicated by the nationalistic schism between middle east countries. As islam expanded from the deserts of the arabian peninsula into the complex and urban societies of the once roman and persian empires, muslims encountered new. Although the origins of the sunnishia split were violent, over the centuries shia and sunnis lived peacefully together for long periods of time. The conflict between sunnis and shiites goes back nearly 1,400 years and today, it is tearing iraq apart. This split in the religion stems from a political and spiritual difference of opinion about who should have succeeded prophet muhammad after his death in 632 ce. Its repercussions have rippled through history, with periods of peace and periods of war. Why did the sunni and shiite muslims split apart into two. The term shia or shiite derives from a shortening of shiat ali or partisans of ali.
The difference between sunni and shia sects of islam are not to the gigantic proportions as most western literature assume. Is the sunnishia split in islam comparable in any way to. Sep 29, 2006 the conflict between sunnis and shiites goes back nearly 1,400 years and today, it is tearing iraq apart. Overnight, the shia went from being a politically oriented group to a separate religious sect that laid emphasis on devotion to the ahlul bayt and the imams. Islams sunni shia split zwemer center for muslim studies. Shia are also guided by the wisdom of muhammads descendants through his soninlaw and cousin, ali. They differ in terms of who should hold the political leadership of the islamic community and what the religious dimension of that leadership should be. What began as a dispute over who was entitled to lead islam. The shia are concentrated in iran, southern iraq and southern lebanon.
The divisions date back to the years immediately after the prophet mohammeds death. You may also consider how best you can pray for them during this time of unrest and war. The abbasids did not prove to be any better however. But the two branches of islam have not always been openly hostile, and in many parts of. Apr 10, 2019 while there was hardly any overlap between sunni, shia, and kurdish constituencies in 2014, the three were internally fragmented, with the shia vote dominated by three lists, and the sunni vote split mostly among four lists, in addition to smaller lists across the spectrum. The succession to muhammad is the central issue that split the muslim community into several divisions in the first century of islamic history, the most prominent among these sects being the shia and sunni branches of islam. It is true that there are minor variations in the way they take their respective religious heads and attribute meaning to the history of the family of muhammads, however, cultural and political differences hold the most divisive power over the religious forces. Jun 30, 2014 recent turmoil in the middle east and asia centers on conflicts between the two major sects of islam, shiite and sunni.