Difference Between Sunni And Shiites

Like many, Islam is a divided religion consisting of two separate, yet common sects. As an entirety, Islam was founded by Mohammed in the seventh century around the Saudi Arabia area. All Muslims, from both sects, agree that Allah is the only God and Muhammad his messenger. Another prominent similarity is in their sacred ritual of prayer, which are nearly identical; the Shiites will stand with their hands at their sides, while Sunnis will put their hands on their stomachs. Both ranches also following the five ritualistic pillars of Islam, such as Ramadan, the month of fasting, as well as use the Quran as their holy book. Soon after Muhammad's death the division of Islam occurred, yet still both sects share many of these basic fundamental beliefs
While the Shiites give human beings an exalted status which is given only to prophets in the Quran, whereas Sunnis do not.

A report by the Pew Research Centre, a think-tank, found that 40% of Sunnis do not consider Shia to be proper Muslims. This difference has created many conflicts, including the current situation of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria partaking in a genocide against Shias. An article from the Huffington Post highlighted,

“For much of its modern history, the country’s Sunni and Shiite Iraqis intermarried,

socialized and lived alongside one another in mixed neighborhoods. Certainly there

were differences, but they could be subtle and often only privately felt. They
Sunni

jihadist groups, including Islamic State (IS), have meanwhile been targeting Shia

and their places of worship in Syria and neighbouring Iraq.”

Following these events, in January 2016, the execution by Saudi Arabia of a prominent Shia cleric, who supported mass anti-government protests, took place. Which in turn triggered a “diplomatic crisis” between Iran and angry demonstrations across the Middle East.

Today's events are a build up of 1,400 years of turmoil and harmful actions. One of the main topic currently in light is the war and fighting taking place in Syria, which is often referred to as a civil war. It started as a uprising of Syrian citizens in 2011 to demand democracy and end to corruption, yet was quickly faced with major opposition by the government and quickly spiralled into a war. This was is much more complex than the civil war it began as due to the ties and involvement of some of most powerful countries, such as the United States. BBC News showed that,

“It's complicated, but the best way is by looking at the war as a conflict between

those who, in broad terms, support and oppose Mr Assad and his government. On

the Syrian government's side, we