Sunni-Shiite Conflict

The Prophet Mohammed, in 622, founded the first Islamic state, a theocracy in Medina, Saudi Arabia. In this state, he founded two branches of the Islamic religion. Sunnism and Shiism are the two main sects in Islam, which have been in conflict for more than a millennium. The Sunni Muslims believe the first four Caliphs rightfully took the place of Mohammed as the leaders of Muslims. They recognize these caliphs as genuine religious leaders. Shiites, in contrast, believe the only ruler and legitimate successor of Mohammed is Ali, the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Mohammed. Religion is at the heart of the conflict between the two sects. This paper will focus on religion and politics as the theoretical framework to explain the factors that contribute to the Sunni-Shiite conflict.

The schism in Islam between Sunnis and Shiites have both a religious and political dimension. Faith and …show more content…
In the 1980’s “military dictator Zia ul-Haq, encouraged the creation of deadly Sunni section groups that now regularly massacre ordinary Shiites throughout the country”. Militant groups, such as the Taliban in Pakistan have attacked Shia worshipping places during the time of prayer, in order to maximize the number of deaths. Pakistan’s legal system incorporates aspects of Sharia Law, religious laws governing marriage, and blasphemy laws, which ban defamatory speech against Islam or its prophet.

There are several steps to help prevent the Shia-Sunni conflict. First, Muslim governments should respect the rights of their citizens whether they are Sunni or Shia. I believe that countries should treat their Sunni minorities, with equal respect to the majority. Conflicts between religion should not be hostile. If religions can be tolerant of one another there would be less conflict overall. Not everyone holds the same belief, and never has. Making a country or the globe believe in the same faith is