May 23, 2014 solving the sunni shia conflict begins with tehran. Zora hesova alongside the fierce resistance against the occupation, another surprise of the iraq venture of great consequence that requires explanation and assessment is the. The origins of the sunnishia split in islam by hussein abdulwaheed amin, editor of introduction the shia shahadah declaration of faith states. Sectarian conflict is becoming entrenched in a growing number of muslim countries and is threatening to fracture iraq and syria. Why conflict defines saudiiran relations relations between saudi arabia and iran took a turn for the worse last week after the execution of the shia cleric nimr alnimr at. These internal dynamics point to the emergence of a weak. The christian science monitor is an international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage via its website, weekly magazine, online daily edition, and email newsletters. Why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east. Historical context to modern conflict download fact sheet after the death of the prophet mohammad in 632 ce, the muslim community diverged over how to select the next leader of the islamic community they had formed on the arabian peninsula. Sunni, shia conflict rooted in dispute over prophets successor. Modern sunnishia conflicts and their neglected tropical. The shiite sunni conflict is the most deadly and unsolvable conflict in the middle east and it is between muslims. The divisions date back to the years immediately after the prophet mohammeds death. In iraq, sunnishiite relations have been complicated by the dramatic shift in power dynamics that accompanied the removal of the sunnidominated saddam hussein regime, which ended centuries of sunni political dominance.
Is iraqs sunnishiite conflict really about religion. Sunni and shia identity conflicts in the age of web 2. History is a great teacher and this book is very well written history indeed. But the two branches of islam have not always been openly hostile, and in many parts of. Isis calls on jihadists to join them or face death. In terms of religious belief and practice there are more similarities than differences between sunni and shia muslims and the idea that sunnis and shias have been in perpetual conflict is historically inaccurate. What is the conflict between shia and sunnis answers. We hope this benefits the ummah and helps them to clarify. Jun 14, 2014 conflict in iraq follows centuries of shiite sunni mistrust. The struggle between turkey and saudi arabia for the leadership of sunni islam ev. This timeline highlights sunnishia tensions in recent. How conflicts within islam will shape the future by vali nasr, w. In addition to culture, examination of how the sunnishia conflict emerged and.
It is an issue of history and politics, and not religion. The middle east today is more vulnerable to instability and extremism than at any time since irans islamic. Pdf the war in iraq has produced a tremendous change in the middle east. Nationalism, sectarianism and sociopolitical conflict in iraq. It manages to dramatize the history of the shia sunni conflict without making overt statements and yet manages to capture multiple sides of the story. Prepared by emily hawley, research associate after the death of the prophet mohammad in 632 ce, the muslim community diverged over how to select the next leader of the islamic community they had formed on the arabian peninsula. Conflict in iraq follows centuries of shiitesunni mistrust. The sunni shia conflict is a power struggle for dominance in the middle east.
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. May 23, 2017 there have been several attacks on shia mosques in several parts of the world. But the sunni shia divide was the result of disagreement over future leadership. Jan 05, 2016 the story, as told, usually goes something like this. The sunni shia split is rooted in the question of who should succeed the prophet muhammad in leading muslims after his death in 632. A primer to the sunnishia conflict universiteit leiden. Irans islamic revolution, which brought shias to power in 1979, and the sunni backlash have fueled a competition for regional dominance. But since the 2011 uprising, tensions between the two groups have divided the country. How this conflict played out in the rivalry between iran and saudi arabia is destabilising the world. The shi ite sunni conflict is the most deadly and unsolvable conflict in the middle east and it is between muslims. Who are the elite groups in iraq and how do they exercise power. The shia believe that only the descendents of mohammed could rule, and the sunni believe that being part of mohammeds bloodline was not necessary. Nov 04, 2015 the root cause of the sunni shiah schism is the dispute regarding succession after the passing of the prophet s.
Shiasunni conflict season 10 episode 09252006 religion. Disarmament and international security committee disec. Here is a primer on the basic differences between sunni and shia islam. Perplexing and deadly international intercultural conflict 17 mimic the pilgrimage of the polytheistic religions that once traveled there. If we assume this to be a shia sunni conflict and apply the same concept. One of the significant reasons that the majority fail to realize behind the shia sunni conflict is the extremism that is spread from both sides. A history of the shiite sunni 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.
It gives us great pleasure to introduce to you a new pdf publication by shaykh dr. Saudi arabias execution of shia cleric sheikh nimr alnimr could escalate tensions in the muslim world even further. Sunnis through wahhabi ideology are two key players within this conflict. What is missing in our sunnishia conflict narrative.
Tensions between sunnis and shias, exploited by regional rivals. Islam, christianity and buddhism are religious cultural powers, deep, defining the ends and means of human lives. What is the difference between sunnis and shias the hindu. The sunni were more powerful and have a long history of persecuting shia.
Today there is up to 260 sects in islam that are in two main categories of shia and sunni. Furthermore, in the last forty years, there have been efforts on the part of sunni and shia ulema at reconciliation between the two groups. This conflict has led some observers to see the entire region through the prism of the ageold sunnishia struggle. The united states and neighboring sunni countries back the sunni, nonislamic state group rebels.
How conflicts within islam will shape the future, by vali nasr, w. It is, for example, the basis for the great hostility between saudi arabia and iran. The sunni shiite conflict by adam fay slideshare uses cookies to improve functionality and performance, and to provide you with relevant advertising. Sunnishia tensions % of all muslims who say sunnishia tensions are a very or moderately big problem in their country question modified in iran to ask how prevalent tensions are. And you might recall that saddam hussein was a sunni ruling over a majority of shia. The story of that small shrine is one key to a better understanding of the sunni shia schism in islam, which has a powerful influence on tensions in the middle east. The pakistani shia community representing 15 to 20 % of the population, i. I would like to clear one at the start of my response that shiite was a reformist movement in islam which later became a sect due to number of differences in religious practices and beliefs. Mar 18, 2020 this country allied with shia ruled iran and iraq. Jun 07, 20 behind the growing tension in the muslim world is the enmity between members of the sunni and shia sects, writes geneive abdo. Pdf radicalization of the sunnishia divide researchgate. Jun 20, 2014 theres an important divide between arab sunnis and shias in iraq. The sunnishia split at the heart of regional conflict in.
Shiasunni conflict in yemen involves the shia insurgency in northern yemen. It also persecutes the sunni minority, some of whom are with the islamic state group. The intelligence community judges that the term civil war does not adequately capture the complexity of the conflict in iraq, which includes extensive shia on shia violence, alqaida and sunni insurgent attacks on coalition forces, and widespread criminally motivated violence. After years of clashes that saw the sunni wing prevail, although ali did rule for a few years, the final break between the two camps occurred in 680 ad at the battle of karbala in present day iraq, when the umayyad troops, loyal to the then sunni caliph, killed hussein, the son of ali.
In south asia, where there are also substantial shia minorities, until the last decade or so there was no history of any largescale sunni shia conflict. Now bringing stability to iraq is the goal, while preventing. For example, some shia extremists claim that abou baker and mouawiyas descendants till this day are from al shajara al malouna meaning the cursed blood line. Rivalry between the shia majority and the sunni minority in iraq has been at the center. 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. Shia sunni conflict in yemen involves the shia insurgency in northern yemen. Jan, 2016 the shiasunni schism is about politics, not about islam. For shias, the month also is a time to mourn the events that sparked the centuriesold schism between shia and sunni muslims. The islamic state in iraq and the levant isis, a sunni group, has grown powerful by exploiting sunni discontent with shia prime. However, dividing the middle east along sectarian lines is not an accurate way to assess the loyalties or predict the. A brief history of the shiitesunni conflict geopolitical. However, the root cause of the constructed sunnishia conflict in libya, syria, yemen, iraq, tunisia, egypt, sudan, somalia, and bahrain and other members of the arab league, rests with poor governance, including the presence of illegitimate, authoritarian states.
Members of the two sects have coexisted for centuries and share many fundamental beliefs and practices. One of the significant reasons that the majority fail to realize behind the shiasunni conflict is the extremism that is spread from both sides. Feb 12, 2007 the following is a list of suggested reading about the shiite sunni conflict. Sunni, shia conflict rooted in dispute over prophets. May 07, 2017 why the myth of sunnishia conflict defines middle east policy and why it shouldnt is the muslim world divided over an ancient sectarian conflict. The struggle between turkey and saudi arabia for the.
The two denominations share many of the same fundamental beliefs and practices. Sunni shia tensions are more about politics, power and. The sunni shia split is rooted in the question of who should succeed the prophet muhammad in. This area has come to be known as the shia crescent.
Sunni and shia governments constantly worry about their grip on power, especially in the wake of protest movements in places like tunisia and egypt. Ali, soninlaw of the prophet muhammad, starting the first civil war among muslims fitna that lasted until. The divide between sunnis and shia is the largest and oldest in the history of islam. The shiasunni schism is about politics, not about islam. Two of pakistans three major sunni subsects, the ahlehadis, and to a lesser extent, the barelvis, may have antipathy toward the shia, but.
This week sunni and shia muslims ushered in the islamic new year and the beginning of the holy month of muharram. The conflict in yemen the conflict in yemen has ravaged the country for years, resulting in a humanitarian crisis of over 10,000 deaths and 3. Sunni, see the pew research centers reports the global religious landscape december 2012 and mapping the global muslim population october 2009. Shift in iraq americas aims in iraq changed as the sectarian conflict between shia and sunni deepened. Season 10 10m 18s the conflict between sunnis and shiites goes back nearly 1,400 years and today, it is tearing iraq apart.
The international media has largely dubbed the civil war in iraq a sectarian conflict, part of a 0 year struggle between shias and sunnis, the two major sects in. The sunni shia split at the heart of regional conflict in the middle east explained it is a secession crisis between the two groups, in political terms. Both shia and sunni dissidents in yemen have similar complaints about the governmentcooperation with the american government and an alleged failure to following sharia law but its the shia who have allegedly been singled out for government crackdown. This conflict has led some observers to see the entire region through the prism of the ageold sunni shia struggle.
Shia and sunni have mostly same beliefs and both believe in fundamental beliefs of islam. Religion is also key to understanding the syrian conflict to the extent that the issue of religiousor, more precisely, sectarianidentity has been at the heart. Sunni muslims make up the bulk of the population of other countries in the region, with pockets of shiites. Introductory points the geopolitical antagonism between turkey and saudi arabia for the leadership of the sunni islamic world is an ongoing and unfolding process in. Shiasunni sectarianism georgetown library repository. Mitigating sunnishia conflict in the worlds most charming. I as a sunni has always admired the sacrifices of ahl. Modern sunnishia tensions council on foreign relations. At its heart is the centuriesold sectarian shia sunni divide. The sunni divide foreign policy research institute. The political scientist and middle east and islamic specialist vali nasr has written extensively about the current wars and conflicts in the middle east, attributing many, if not most, of these activities to recent escalations in ancient shia sunni disputes.
The story, as told, usually goes something like this. The division between shiites and sunnis has served to justify many wars and revolutions, including the ongoing syria civil war and the conflict in yemen, which now have an even greater potential of spreading to other parts of the middle east. While sunni and shia sectarian conflict in the middle east spans more. Its something that you may want to read to get a better understanding of the middle east and its politics. Sep 24, 2017 the sunni shia split and conflict early events from islamic history. Intrashia rivalry the current political settlement is shaped and. Weak authoritarianism and iraqi state building graeme p herd key points the nature of the insurgency, factionalism within and between shia, sunni and kurds and oil production and export capacity are the key internal dynamics that shape iraqi stability in the short and medium term. If you continue browsing the site, you agree to the use of cookies on this website. Is iraqs sunni shiite conflict really about religion. Mitigating sunnishia conflict in the worlds most charming police state. The conflict between sunnis and shiites goes back nearly 1,400 years and today, it is tearing iraq apart. The tugofwar relationship between the sunni and shia communities of india. Iran supports bashar alassad even though he is an alawite and a member of the shia minority sect. The regimes strategy was to combine divisiveness based on communal.
Mar 18, 20 sunni and shia have lived in peace in bahrain for centuries. This conflict is largely fueled by the battles between shiite iran and its sunni neighbors, and it will only resolve via a grand bargain. What is at the root of the sunnishia conflict in modern islam. Parallels the division between islams shiite minority and the sunni majority is deepening across the. Shia sunni conflicts are raging in syria, iraq, lebanon and pakistan and the divide is growing deeper across the muslim world.
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