Islam has two main denominations, Sunni and Shia Islam. Unfortunately, the divide between the two often has violent repercussions for civilians. This divide between denominations does not stem from the tenants of Islam, as both agree upon the Quran as the holy book and the fundamental Five Pillars of Islam. The reason for the split lies in a division between who was the chosen successor to the Prophet Muhammad.
Sunni Muslims accept that Muhammad chose Abu Bakr as his successor, while Shi’a Muslims believe that he chose his cousin, Ali. What’s interesting about Ali is that after the initial divide between the two groups, he conceded the Caliphate to Abu Bakr. When each Caliph died he named his successor until the Third Caliph, Uthman ibn Affan was murdered. Ali was chosen as the Fourth Caliph and his reign was contentious due to opposition by Muhammad’s widow Aisha. Aisha believed that the murderers of Uthman escaped too easily, and that Ali was not doing enough to bring them to justice. The escalation of this conflict culminated in Aisha leading a host of troops against Ali. In Basra, in southern Iraq, Aisha was defeated and subsequently sent back to Medina.
Despite the historical succession of Muhammad being in favor of the Sunni population, the Shi’a believe that Ali was the true First Caliph and that those who came before him are false. Another Shi’a belief is that Ali was the first Imam, meaning one who leads, and that his descendants have inherited this quality, which in Shi’a culture gives imams “quasi-divine” qualities, including the ability to do no wrong and political authority within the community. Sunni Muslims provide a stark distinction to this, believing that Imams are renowned religious scholars who lead the daily prayers. Sunni Islam’s formal name is Ahl al-Sunnah, which means “people of the Sunnah,” and the word sunnah means “custom” or “tradition.” Shi'a Islam is short for 'Shiat Ali', meaning 'partisans of Ali'. While Sunni Muslims consist of approximately 75% of the world population of Muslims, they are not the majority in every country in the Arab world. For example, Shi’a majority countries are Iran, Iraq, Bahrain, and Azerbaijan, with Iran being the predominant country with a Shi’a majority population.
The current conflict in Syria has become a prime example of the conflict between Sunni and Shi’a Muslims. Currently the Al-Assad regime is in power, and Bashar Al-Assad is an Alawite Muslim. The Alawite denomination is an offshoot of Shi’a Islam, and the Shi’a population is the minority in Syria. Therefore, in Syria, there is conflict between a government of the minority denomination and the people of Syria, who are approximately 74% Sunni Muslim. Although there does not appear to be a resolution to the conflict between these two denominations across the Middle East due to ingrained cultural discrimination and bitterness, progress is often made on the small scale, where people of all denominations of Islam come together as a community.
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/sy.html
http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sunnishia_1.shtml
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shia%E2%80%93Sunni_relations
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