Shia-Sunni: A Deadly Ancient Schism in the Islamic World By Palash R.

Ghosh January 9, 2012 The revolution in the Arab World, as well as conflicts in Iran, Pakistan and els ewhere has revealed that the Muslim world is anything but a monolithic empire. One of the gravest issues facing Islam is the seemingly insoluble battle between Sunni Muslims and those who espouse Shia Islam. This ancient conflict has taken a deadly turn in Iraq which finds itself on the brink of a devastating sectarian war between the nation's Shia and Sunni populat ions. Daniel Brumberg an associate professor at Georgetown University, and author of a book called Reinventing Khomeini: The Struggle for Reform in Iran, told National Public Radio a few years ago:"There is definitely an emerging struggle between S unni and Shia to define not only the pattern of local politics, but also the rel ationship between the Islamic world and the West." The split goes all the way back to the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the year 632 and it had to do with succession that is, who would be the rightful success or to the Prophet? Essentially, those who became Sunni believed that the heir to Mohammad should be determined by the community of elder Muslim clerics. To the contrary, those who became Shias (a distinct minority), felt Mohammads successor should come from th e Prophet s own family, namely Ali, his son-in-law -- since Mohammad had no sons who survived into adulthood. Soon after, the Sunnis got their way and chose another successor as the first ca liph. Ali eventually became the fourth caliph -- but by then it was too late, th e cracks had already formed. In fact, Ali s selection prompted a war leading to his own death in 661 in Kufa, present-day Iraq. The relationship between the Shia and Sunni would forever be ruptured. Moreover, it was Ali s son Hussein who perhaps became the most potent symbol to Shia Muslims. Hussein launched a war against the reigning caliph -- a bloody battle that led t o his own gruesome death. Hussein was decapitated and his severed head was carri ed to the Sunni caliph in Damascus as a tribute. His (headless) body was left on the battlefield at Karbala (present day Iraq), where it was later buried. Consequently, Hussein became an eternal martyr for the Shias. For the past fifteen centuries, Shia Muslims commemorate Hussein s death by self -flagellation in a public ritual called Ashoura. Another key difference between Shias and Sunnis has to do with how they address and regard their senior clerics. Shias call their leaders Imam (Ali was the fi rst Imam, Hussein, the third). The Sunni clerics have no such glorified equivalent. Gregory Gause, professor of Middle East politics at the University of Vermont, e xplained to NPR: "Some of the Sunnis believe that some of the Shia are actually attributing almost divine qualities to the imams, and this is a great sin, becau se it is associating human beings with the divinity. And if there is one thing t hat s central to Islamic teaching, it is the oneness of God." Yet another key theological dispute between the warring camps has to do with the idea of a Messiah. As with Jews and Christians, Shia Muslims believe that the 1 2th (and last) Imam -- who lived in the 10th century and vanished, and is known as the Mahdi -- will return to earth at the end of time. In Iran, the ayatollahs serve as caretakers of the faith until the Mahdi returns . Sunnis find this belief anathema. On the other hand, Shias frequently curse the original Caliphs so revered by the Sunnis. One thing to remember is that Sunnis represent an overwhelming majority of the g

lobal Muslim population perhaps has much as 85 to 90 percent, according to schol arly estimates. Indeed, the only major Muslim country dominated by Shias is Iran , although significant Shia communities exist in Iraq, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Sy ria, Afghanistan, Yemen, Pakistan and India. Moreover, Yitzhak Nakash, author of The Shias of Iraq, estimates that Shias accoun t for some 80 percent of the population in the oil-rich Persian Gulf region (whi ch includes Iran, southern Iraq and eastern Saudi Arabia), thereby providing the m with considerable economic leverage. Iran (ancient Persia) became a Shia kingdom in the 16th-century with the arrival of the Azeris and the establishment of the Safavid dynasty. Iran was thus surro unded by Sunni empires to the east (Mughal India) and to the west (Ottoman Turke y). The Shia-Sunni conflict is particularly volatile in Iraq. However, some analysts think the ideological differences are being exploited by politicians. Juan Cole, professor of Middle East History at the University of Michigan, told NPR: I don t think people are killing each other over... minor differences. I thi nk they re killing each other because these religious ideologies are now being m arshaled in a quest for power. Indeed, in Iraq the sectarian violence between Shia and Sunni has already erupte d and threatens to explode into a full-blown civil war in the wake of the Americ ans departure from the country. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki (of the Shia majority) has turned the heat up by ordering the arrest of Iraq s most prominent Sunni politician, vice-president Ta riq al-Hashemi, who is in hiding in the Kurdish north. In response to Hashemi s arrest, the principal Sunni political group al-Iraqiyya , is boycotting parliament and the cabinet, setting the stage for a government s talemate and continued sectarian killings. "We should blame Mr. Maliki, he started a national crisis and it s not easy to c ontrol," Hashemi told BBC. "The Iraqis have a right to be worried." (Interestingly, Saddam Hussein was Sunni, although he included many Shias among his inner circle) Bahrain presents a particularly interesting stage for the Shia-Sunni saga. The t iny kingdom s population has a Shia majority, but is ruled by a Sunni dynasty. W hen anti-regime protests broke out last spring, the Bahraini king recruited mili tary assistance from neighboring Saudi Arabia (a Sunni power) to help stamp out the rebellion. Meanwhile, Shia-dominated Iran bitterly criticized the Saudi intervention in Bah rain. In turn, the Saudis openly accused Teheran of fomenting the unrest in Bahr ain. Saudi Arabia has its own problems with its restless Shia minority who dominate t he oil-rich eastern corridor of the kingdom. Saudi officials have responded to sporadic demonstrations with brutal, decisive force and, again, have explicitly blamed Iran for stirring up the trouble. Source: International Business Times URL: http://www.newageislam.com/NewAgeIslamWarWithinIslam_1.aspx?ArticleID=6341

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COMMENTS 1/13/2012 5:31:19 AM shahzan Imam Hussein(as) never waged a war against Yazid(la).When he left Madina he said I am going to restore the religion of my GrandFather(saws).Yazid was a cruel r uler who when saw the head of Imam Hussain(as) said that "There was no revelatio n on Muhammad(saws) this was a trick played by Bani Hashim to sieze the power".

1/13/2012 4:44:00 AM SAMI H,ALI It is true the divide between sunni and shea muslims is looming across the arab land and that is worrying,but in iraq we lived through out ages as one community muslims ,christean and many other religions side by side.As neighbours and inte rmarriage between the different communities. The biased policies of the late dictator sad dam created a crack between the sun nis and shea in iraq,unfortunitly after his regimes fall internal .regional and international forces played havoc to by their uncalled and satanic intervention by supporting some sects against the others materially or even by sending human bombs ready to kill hundred of innocent iraqis .All arab countries and the regio nal powers participated in these acts just to weaken iraq-now they are harvestin g what they planted it started in tunesia,libya,egypt,suadi arabia,yemen and bah rain etc-most of the bombers came from libya and suadi arabia via syria. unfortunitly the political situatioon in iraq is so flued and the iraqi politici ans are exploiting the situation for their political interest,sunnis and shea ar e fedup with their present rulers who are getting all the wealth and power while the masses are facing the sueciders alone. Despite the american withdrawal from iraq which is a good sign we hope to live p eacefully and call upon all our politicians to solve their differences by dialog ues and take india and south africa as a model for peaceful coexistance and harm ony.we call upon all peace loving people and progressive forces all over not to increase the divide by going back to historical bias and distortion,LET US LIVE OUR DAY

1/11/2012 7:21:30 PM Mubashir Funny thing is it is on stories based on hearsay. One s version is rejected by t he other. It is not based on The Qur an. It is based on controversial historical sectarian records. The Jewish Encyclopedia gives credit to Abdullah Ibne Sabah (A "convert" from Ju daism to Islam) for creating a cult of Ali and creating this schism. Now, the Muslims cannot say they were not warned by the Qur an: Stay away from s ectarianisms where each sects claims to be on the right path. Sad bud true.

1/11/2012 6:39:35 PM Ghulam Mohiyuddin The Prophets descendents and companions have created a bloody feud that has last ed for over 1000 years. Let us forget about them and remember just the Quran and the Nabi.

1/11/2012 Though it en Hazrat of Power

12:46:06 PM Naseem Ansari became a constant conflict between Shias and Sunnis, but the war betwe Ali & Muavia and later between Hussain and Yazid was only for the seat and no more. And like any war, there were many unfair things happened.

But, it was nothing to do with Faith which is True Islam and that is only one. Shia Brethren should understand this and join the forces with Sunnis as one Musl im Brotherhood.

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