Let’s say that you are a devout, practicing Christian: would you murder a Jehovah’s Witness?
They might claim to be a Christian in their own right, but parts of what they believe are undeniably different from what you believe. The two of you argue about it constantly because you both insist that your way is the right way. Frustrations will mount, tensions will thicken, and when push comes to shove, would you kill them?
The question is rhetorical and seemingly far-fetched, especially when religious freedom is the cornerstone of the nation. But it's not far-fetched, and "Christian" extremists crop up all the time as a result of perceived religious conflict, from the Crusades to the Ku Klux Klan.
For Sunni and Shia Muslims, the conflict is within Islam itself, and centuries of division between the two groups have culminated into wide-scale political conflicts and multiple mass executions.
While it is disputed whether or not he officially appointed a successor, arguments over who should take his place resulted in the emergence of two sects: one that thought the next leader should be the best qualified person while the other thought that only Mohammed’s descendants can be considered legitimate rulers. The former became known as Sunnis, and the latter Shias.
The Sunnis pushed for Mohammed’s close friend and adviser Abu Bakr to become the first caliph—a leader of the Islamic community—while the Shias insisted on electing the prophet’s cousin and son-in-law Ali ibn Abi Talib. Abu became the first caliph, but Ali became the fourth. But choosing who should be the next caliph is what really caused the schism that still exists to this day. The Shias were soon overpowered by the Sunni community, enduring persecution and marginalization since then.
By the 17th century, the two groups were able to settle political borders that evolved into today’s demographic distribution of Islam’s sects. Now, Sunnis make up approximately 85% to 90% of the world’s Muslims population while holding the majority in over forty countries while Shias hold the majority in Iran, Iraq, Azerbaijan, and Bahrain.
But many Middle Eastern conflicts stem from the animosity between the two sects, carried out by a small percentage of extremists.
The Iranian revolution of 1979 signaled the beginning of a radical Shia Islamist agenda that Sunni governments saw as a threat. This led to Iraq’s Sunni dictator Saddam Hussein to start the Iran-Iraq war which lasted from 1980 to 1988.
The civil war in Syria is also a battle between the Shia-led government and the Sunni-dominated opposition. Sunni militant groups which includes Islamic State (ISIS) have been specifically targeting Shia and their place of worship in Syria and Iraq.
Most recently in January 2016, Saudi Arabia executed 47 “terrorists,” which included prominent Shia cleric Nimr al-Nimr due to his support of mass anti-government protests.
With literally hundreds of years of bad blood between the Sunnis and Shias, it will most likely take just as long—if not longer—to reconcile the two groups, if it’s even possible.
However, Sunnis and Shias do agree on the basic tenets of Islam: declaring belief in a monotheistic God with Mohammed as his messenger, carrying out daily prayers, giving to those in need, fasting during the holy month of Ramadan, and making pilgrimages to Mecca. Out of everything that has happened, they still have something in common.
The problem with the whole issue is that Western media—and as a result, Western people—is quick to equate Islam with terrorism, but it's not true. In fact, many countries with predominately Muslim populations are against "Islamic" terrorism.
Because just as the KKK doesn't represent Christianity, ISIS doesn't represent Islam.
In America, we attempt to maintain separation of church and state; religion should not mix with politics and vice versa. The concept has been neither a success nor a failure, and to say that it's still a work-in-progress is an understatement.
To hold an entire people group responsible for the actions of a few spawns hate due to fear and ignorance. "Islamic" terrorism isn't black and white; there is a whole spectrum of gray, and we should be smart enough to educate ourselves about it.
For more resources:
You can learn more about Islam as a religion here.
And for an in-depth look at the Sunni-Shia divide you can look here.
