The seemingly internal conflict in syria has become the war s central front. Most shia sects place importance on the belief that the twelfth and final imam is hidden called in occultation and will reappear one day to fulfill divine will. How much do you know about the difference between sunnis and shiites. What is the likelihood of an all out war between sunnis and. On sunday, officials said four shias in a village west of cairo were beaten to death. Jan 05, 2017 amnesty international has today released a scathing report on irresponsible international arms transfers fuelling war crimes perpetrated by armed shia militias primarily against the sunni arab c. Saddam hussein recklessly destroyed that coalition by invading kuwait in 1990. Sunnishiite violence flares in mideast in wake of syria.
The war will also pit sunnis versus shias and various ethnic groups against each other. Revolts against sunni caliphs, considered illegitimate by the shia, have played a central role in that theology. Since the iraq war, sectarian conflict between shiites and sunnis has emerged as a major fissure in middle east. This collection seeks to advance our understanding of intraislamic identity conflict during a period of upheaval in the middle east. The iraq war and the syrian conflict, neither of which was sectarian in its beginning, intensified this minor tension. Saudi arabias execution of shia cleric sheikh nimr alnimr could escalate tensions in the muslim world even further. Sunni, shia conflict rooted in dispute over prophets. Just as saudi arabia has a sizeable shia minority, iran is home to sunnis. New groundbreaking documentary explores the truth behind the sunnishia war narrative in the fight against isis. Meanwhile, the rest of us can take pleasure in hazletons vigorously drawn characters, her lucid storytelling, and her enthralling, imaginative grasp of the roots and consequences of the sunnishia divide. Only the shia minorities in the arab world supported iran and then by no means unanimously. When fatimah a shia muslim stops to help abubakr a sunni muslim recover from his asthma attack, they get talking. The kingdom of saudi arabia executed shiite muslim cleric nimr alnimr on saturday.
To see more differences in shia and sunni hadith collections, visit this wikipedia category and its subcategories. Possible war crimes by shia militia human rights watch. The sunni shia split is rooted in the question of who should succeed the prophet muhammad in leading muslims after his death in 632. Tensions between sunnis and shias, exploited by regional rivals. A cleric revered as an ayatollah in his native iran, alnimr was a shia muslim who had long railed against the royal family in the sunni majority kingdom. Nigeria as the next theatre of proxy war, by majeed dahiru 2016 1103t10. To put the rise of the shia into context, it was sunni muslims and not shias who were tortured by us occupying forces in the bagram and abu ghraib.
In ad 680, alis son hussein died during such a revolt. The fact that the sunni shia divide does not have deep historical roots in yemen does not mean that it cannot provoke further conflict in the future. Likewise, sunnis reject shia islams the four books. Shia and sunni islam are the two major denominations of islam. What are the differences between shia and sunni muslims. The differences between sunni and shia muslims arose from a disagreement over the succession to muhammad and subsequently acquired broader political significance, as well. The islam versus islam conflict is so ancient and the topic so overworn that anybody, who feels compelled to write something about it, needs to seek a new perspective on the issue. This has led sunnis to accuse shia of heresy, while shia point out that sunni dogmatism has led to extremist sects such as the puritanical wahhabis. Well if such an war start, the results will be in the favor of sunnis because there are only 3 shiite countries in the world. And the syrian armed forces are still majority sunni. A us strategy and saudi illusion back in february, irans president, mahmoud ahmadinejad, claimed that the united states and israel were deliberately stirring sectarian conflict between shia and sunni in order to exploit all muslims. The conference was held in the chechen republic capital of grozny from 2527 august 2016, sponsored by the president of chechnya, ramzan kadyrov, and attended by approximately 200 muslim.
Sunnis and shiites praying together on sunday in beirut, lebanon, in protest of. Apr 14, 2017 the ageold sunni shia war is sucking america in. Similarly, iran is afraid of its sunni minority and has been oppressing them. The assad regime is made up of alawite muslims, who actually celebrate christians. The conference evoked a torrent of condemnation and criticism followed from the. The saudis are afraid of their shia minority and have been oppressing them. How much do you know about the difference between sunnis.
Timeline of the iraq war 2016 jump to navigation jump to search. The war for islam amid a roiling middle east, iran and saudi arabia are fanning the fires of sectarianism and playing politics in a zerosum proxy war of religious fervor. Its name comes from the word sunnah, referring to the behaviour of the islamic prophet muhammad. Tied by history and intrigue to other parts of the middle east. It is, therefore, one of the causes of civil war in iraq and syria can be explained under the pretext of sectarianism between shia and sunni factions in both states. Feb 15, 2007 iraq war deepens sunni shia divide when the united states invaded iraq four years ago, it didnt set out to deepen the sunni shia divide in the islamic world. Is the unity between the sunni and shia muslims possible. The sobering thing is that the bible prophesies that a massive unprecedented war will soon begin out of this part of the world. The history of islam in iraq goes back almost 1,400 years to the lifetime of muhammad died 632. Sectarianism did not start the war, but it has now taken on a power of its own. The iraniraq war and sectarianism in the middle east. Jan 11, 2016 it appears that the middle east could be facing a full war between sunni muslims and shia muslims.
Jan 22, 2016 the war for islam amid a roiling middle east, iran and saudi arabia are fanning the fires of sectarianism and playing politics in a zerosum proxy war of religious fervor. The civil war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and allowed two israeli invasions. Sunnishiite violence flares in mideast in wake of syria war. Sunnishia war published january 5, 2016 by osama hajjaj. Affairs in the middle east are accelerating back to the old normal. An example of an early shia sunni 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 mayor of the town was among those killed in the explosion, he succumbed to his wounds in a hospital.
Here is a primer on the basic differences between sunni and shia. But this will not be enough to end yemeni civil conflict. Sunni shia friction has a long history but took its most vicious form after the overthrow of the shah by ayatollah khomeini in 1979 and the creation of a revolutionary. The sixth seal of gods judgment in revelation chapter 9 identifies a 200,000,000 man army that kills one third of men. I decided to write a comprehensive answer because i think it is a very complicated issue that needs a thorough consideration. Whats really driving the sunnishia divide in the middle east. The iraniraq war was a sunni shiites war in disguise.
Sectarian conflict is becoming entrenched in a growing number of muslim countries and is threatening to fracture iraq and syria. From the conflicts in iraq and syria to the tension between iran and saudi arabia, the struggle between sunni and shia groups for hegemony is. The continuing conflagrations following the mislabeled arab spring, increasingly shaped by this ancient sunnishia tension, are set to rage on indefinitely. It is, for example, the basis for the great hostility between saudi arabia and iran. To explain whats going on, the new york times provided a primer on the difference between sunni and shiite islam. The beheading of a spiritual leader by riyadh has unleashed a torrent of anger from tehran and brought the two nations to the edge of open conflict. What is the difference between sunnis and shias the hindu. 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 shiite sunni conflict is the most deadly and unsolvable conflict in the middle east and it is between muslims. Premium times november 3, 2016 the sunni shia divide. What is the likelihood of an all out war between sunnis. The dispute intensified greatly after the battle of karbala, in which hussein ibn ali and his household.
Israeli and syrian occupations followed for the next two decades. Nov 24, 2016 does it really matter what happened 1400 years ago. Shia sunni a truetube ctvc film directed by adam tyler bafta nominated, short educational film exploring the religious differences and commonalities between two sects in islam. 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. Shahid javed burki, as a former minister of pakistan, i would have expected a more profound commentary on the sunni shia schism. Instead of treating distinctions between and within sunni and shia islam as primordial and immutable, it examines how political economy, geopolitics, domestic governance, social media, non and substate groups, and clerical elites have affected the. Iraqs muslims follow two distinct traditions, shia islam majority in south and east iraq and sunni islam majority in north and west iraq. Does it really matter what happened 1400 years ago.
The headline on this article was amended on 11 january 2016. The shia muslims of iraq are arabicspeaking majority group, which is comprised of 60%65% of the iraqi population. They were politically marginalized under the saddam hussein regime. A middle east sunni and shia war endtime ministries end. Islams first century and the origins of the sunni shia split. World war iii turkey, syria, iraq, and iran vs sunni nations. To what degree is the syrian civil war a sunnishia islamic. Generational dynamics predicts that in the approaching clash of civilizations world war, the axis of china, pakistan, and the sunni muslim countries will be. During the iraqiran war, the baathists relied on a coalition based on arab nationalism and sunni panislamism, which allowed them to isolate the iranians. The 2016 conference on sunni islam in grozny was convened to define the term ahl.
Feb 27, 2016 a sunni islam group in the uk has been accused of trying to whip up sectarian animosity against shia muslims in the wake of tensions over the execution of the respected shia cleric, sheikh nimr al. Shia islam is based on the prophets hadith ghadir khumm. Ali was assassinated in 661 after a fiveyear caliphate that was marred by civil war. We could be witnessing the beginning of that war at this present time. Jul 28, 2016 the only way to reduce the scale of devastation and bring a gradual end to the sunni shiite civil war in iraq is to entice the sunni communities inside and outside mosul to join the fight.
And despite stiff resistance and the potential for infighting among the antiisil coalition. Islam versus islam by shahid javed burki project syndicate. Evidence grows of assads extermination of arab sunnis in. The cold war between saudi arabia and iran thats tearing apart the middle east, explained the supposedly ancient sunni shia divide is in fact very modern and its not really about religion. War between iran and saudi arabia or between the sunni and shia sects of islam, more widely benefits no one, and is thus unlikely, excepting the case of. The 1979 islamic revolution in iran initially put shia iran and sunni saudi arabia at odds with one another, but events surrounding the iraniraq war created the foundation for ongoing sectarian conflict in the region.
Defeating isis and ending the sunnishiite war in iraq. May 07, 2017 why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east policy and why it shouldnt. This video is part of the council on foreign relations infoguide presentation, the sunnishia divide. The saudi execution of a shia cleric has deepened islams sectarian. Nothing has helped make the sunni shia narrative stick on a popular level more than the images of assad with iranian help butchering sunnis in syria. Row breaks out between uk sunni and shia over sheikh nimr al. Iraq may have actually transcended the sunni shia paradigm in a way that will seem. It would have been forgotten if the masses that poured into the. Jonathan raban, author of my holy war and surveillance a new masterpiece. The conflict has already threatened to undermine the historic usiranian. Thus, while saudi arabia sides with the sunnis in bahrain, iraq, syria, etc. Learn about the political instability in iraq, where it began, and the latest developments with the center for preventive actions global conflict tracker.
From the conflicts in iraq and syria to the tension between iran and saudi arabia, the struggle between sunni and shia groups for hegemony is tearing apart the region and shows no signs of abating. By expressing solidarity with the saudi state, the nigerian state in its pronouncement, has taken sides with the sunni saudi authorities over the shia houthis and their iranian backers. The last caliphate ended with the fall of the ottoman empire after world war i. Jun 02, 20 nothing has helped make the sunnishia narrative stick on a popular level more than the images of assad with iranian help butchering sunnis in syria. Members of shia militias, who the iraqi government has included among its state forces, abducted and killed scores of sunni residents in a central iraq town and demolished sunni. New groundbreaking documentary explores the truth behind the sunni shia war narrative in the fight against isis. Political instability in iraq global conflict tracker. Why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east. Iraqs sunni minority the day after middle east and. Sunni shia unity is in principle possible but it is difficult in practice for various reasons. Twelver shia is the largest branch of shia islam, with 2012 estimates saying that 85% of shias were twelvers. Washingtons sunni myth and the civil wars in syria and iraq. The continuing conflagrations following the mislabeled arab spring, increasingly shaped by this ancient sunni shia tension, are set to rage on indefinitely.
It could have been contained if the disastrous invasion of iraq had not happened. Syrias civil war, sparked by a popular revolt against. It appears that the middle east could be facing a full war between sunni muslims and shia muslims. The 2016 conference on sunni islam in grozny was convened to define the term ahl alsunnah wa aljamaah, i. Shias say the prophets cousin and soninlaw, ali, was his. The most recent explosion of the shiites sunni enmity was in the eight year long iraniraq war.
Understanding the causes of civil war in iraq and syria. This was not a national war, it was a sectarian war, in which the iraqi shiites larger and silently sided with the sunnis. Amman message international islamic unity conference iran al azhar shia fatwa a common word between us and you list of asharis and. The seemingly internal conflict in syria has become the wars central front. Iraq war deepens sunnishia divide when the united states invaded iraq four years ago, it didnt set out to deepen the sunni shia divide in the islamic world. One map that explains the dangerous saudiiranian conflict. The saudi execution of a shia cleric has deepened islams. The territory it controls at this point in the war and at all points past is majority sunni. Estimates of the size of the two largest religious groups in pakistan vary. What is the difference between sunni and shia muslims. Then the shiites had collaborated with the invading mongols to depose the sunni caliphate, as they have today cooperated with the coalition forces to depose saddams sunni dominated regime. The issue has, of course, a transnational dimension, too. Turkey, syria, iraq, and iran against the sunni nations. Today, the war continues to have a lasting impact on the sunni shia divide across iran, iraq, and the greater middle east.
Aside from terrorism and islamism we have the ongoing and escalating proxy sunni shia war to worry about since we the us. Sunnis, shiites locked in an endless conflict middle. Reconstruction was set back in 2006 when hezbollah and israel fought in lebanon. In june 2014 large parts of iraq fell to isis insurgents, and shortly after the terrorist groups announced a new khilafa. Conflict between sunnis, shias abounds in middle east. According to library of congress, pew research center, oxford university, the cia factbook and other experts, adherents of shi a islam in pakistan make up between 1520% of the countrys total population. This game tells you the difference between shiite and sunni islam.
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