What's the Difference Between Sunni and Shiite Muslims?
In the Middle East, the battle between the Sunnis and Shiites has been going on for quite some time. With one and a half billion Muslims in the world, it is extremely unlikely that they are...
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The terms Sunnis and Shiites are thrown around a lot when talking about Middle Eastern conflicts. Sometimes it's useful, but other times it's just shorthand for "these people hate each other". But there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world and there is no way they are ALL involved in some Hatfields and McCoy style blood feud. So, what's going on? Well, not all Sunnis and Shiites are at war with each other. There are tons of places where they co-exist peacefully. The United Arab Emirates or Dearborn Michigan for example. Their religions are also not diametrically opposed. In fact, the Sunni-Shiite conflict isn't even really about religion. It's about power. Originally Muslims were one unified group under the prophet Muhammad. The...
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The terms Sunnis and Shiites are thrown around a lot when talking about Middle Eastern conflicts. Sometimes it's useful, but other times it's just shorthand for "these people hate each other". But there are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world and there is no way they are ALL involved in some Hatfields and McCoy style blood feud. So, what's going on? Well, not all Sunnis and Shiites are at war with each other. There are tons of places where they co-exist peacefully. The United Arab Emirates or Dearborn Michigan for example. Their religions are also not diametrically opposed. In fact, the Sunni-Shiite conflict isn't even really about religion. It's about power. Originally Muslims were one unified group under the prophet Muhammad. The...
